The Senate is expected to hold an initial vote tomorrow on a $118 billion border security and international aid supplemental legislation, which includes the bipartisan immigration agreement led by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and James Lankford (R-OK). While the bill contains modest improvements in immigration reforms that Argentum has advanced to help with the workforce shortage crisis, it is unlikely the bill has enough support to advance in either the House or Senate.

Unfortunately, the package does not adequately address the critical need of health care and direct care workers in the United States, as Argentum identified in a report issued last year (Workforce Projections for Senior Care), which shows a current shortage of more than 400,000 workers in long-term care that is projected to grow to more than 20 million workers by 2040. Argentum has pushed for common-senses policy solutions to address these workforce needs through our foreign-born worker task force and with the Tent Partnership for Refugees.

The package would allow for expedited deportation of undocumented migrants, tighten asylum application requirements, and increase funding for border security personnel. Major provisions of the Senate legislation include:

Argentum continues to seek solutions to the workforce shortage crisis and is advancing immigration reform as an important part of meaningful workforce improvements. Tomorrow, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the EAGLE Act, a bill that would transform the way per-country VISA caps work by phasing out the 7% per-country limit on employment-based immigrant visas and raising the 7% per-country limit on family-sponsored visas to 15%. These changes would alleviate backlogs and provide an allotment of visas for professional nurses and physical therapists, all of which could help ease the strain on the labor market. While the House is expected to pass this bill, it will not be considered by the Senate. Argentum supports the EAGLE Act and is pursuing additional administrative and legislative measures that will provide more directed solutions to senior living workforce challenges.