Legal immigration is a positive for the American economy, and visa programs allowing American companies to secure qualified, legal labor throughout the world have benefitted economic growth in the United States.

Those who believe legal immigration, particularly work visas, are harmful to the American worker do not understand the American economy.

Work visas for temporary and seasonal jobs covering industries like hospitality, forestry, and many economic sectors can only be issued AFTER American workers have had a chance to fill the job position.

Before coronavirus, legal immigration and programs like these played an important role in helping President Trump create the strongest economy in generations. I have little doubt that programs like these would help him build it again.

Unfortunately, I fear the President’s decision today to temporarily shut down these programs will create a drag on our economic recovery.

The shuttering of these programs may not lead to employment opportunities for displaced American workers, but could instead increase the cost of consumer goods for Americans -- particularly service industry related products.

Like all Americans, I want to recreate the strong economy we had before coronavirus. The policies which created that economy should be utilized today.

President Trump built it once and he can build it again, but not if the tools that helped create the strongest economy in generations are not available.

This decision, in my view, will have a chilling effect on our economic recovery at a time we should be doing all we can to restore the economy.