{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://ross.house.gov/2021/9/representatives-ross-krishnamoorthi-manning-lead-colleagues-calling-fix", "Representatives Ross, Krishnamoorthi, Manning Lead Colleagues In Calling For Fix to Employment-Based Green Card Backlog In Reconciliation Package", "2021-09-03", "2021", "2021-09", "Democrat", "House", "NC", "Deborah K. Ross", "R000305", "ross.house.gov", "ross", "https://ross.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, DC \u2013 Representatives Deborah Ross (NC-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), and Kathy Manning (NC-04) led a coalition of 40 colleagues in sending a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer requesting that the budget reconciliation package provide relief to the 1.2 million individuals stuck in the employment-based green card backlog.\n\nUnder the current system, no more than 7% of employment-based green cards are available to individuals from a single country. As a result, individuals from countries with large populations -- such as India and China -- face decades-long wait times to achieve lawful permanent resident status, prohibiting millions of people who contribute significantly to America\u2019s economy from permanently calling the country home.\n\nThe letter read in part: \u201cFailure to provide a path to lawful permanent residence for the 1.2 million people in the employment-based green card backlog, most of whom are H-1B visa holders, would be tantamount to staging an economic recovery with one hand tied behind our back. Permanently relegating H-1B holders to nonimmigrant status while China, Russia, and other major powers are ascendant on the world stage \u2013 and hungry to be home to the innovators of the 21st century \u2013 is simply nonsensical. This can and must be addressed in the budget reconciliation package currently under negotiation.\u201d\n\nCongresswoman Ross previously introduced the bipartisan America\u2019s CHILDREN Act with Representatives Krishnamoorthi, Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02), and Young Kim (CA-39). She also led 22 of her House colleagues in urging Congressional leadership to include a permanent path to residency for all Dreamers, including Documented Dreamers, in the budget reconciliation package.\n\nA copy of the letter is available here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:17:01Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://ross.house.gov/2021/9/representatives-ross-krishnamoorthi-manning-lead-colleagues-calling-fix"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9702970273792744, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}