Wonkbook: Trump blasts foreign worker program at company that pays below-average wages to foreign workers

By Tracy Jan Standing before an American flag made out of w... | Sponsored by FedEx   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   President Donald Trump speaks at Snap-On Tools Tuesday, April 18, 2017, in Kenosha, Wis. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) By Tracy Jan Standing before an American flag made out of wrenches at a Wisconsin tools company, President Trump on Tuesday promised "bold, new steps" to protect American workers and their wages and vowed to overhaul a decades-old guest worker visa program created to import "high-skilled" foreign labor. But it turns out that Snap-on Tools, where Trump signed his "Buy American, Hire American" executive order to much fanfare, pays below-average wages to the handful of foreign workers for whom the company has sought H-1B visas. The practice, critics say, has the effect of driving down wages for American workers. And Trump choosing to host an event criticizing H1-B practices at a company — far from Silicon Valley — that uses the visa program underscores how ubiquitous it has become, with over 460,000 positions across the country. Read the rest on Wonkblog. Chart of the day Prescriptions for Medicaid patients declined in states that instituted medical marijuana, suggesting substantial savings for the federal government. Christopher Ingraham has more. ADVERTISEMENT   Top policy tweets A summary of proposed new AHCA tweaks. State waivers for essential health benefits and (limited) community rating. https://t.co/WaUAo4uzUw — Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) April 20, 2017 Context for possible new "waiver" deal on health care. New changes would be layered on existing AHCA architecture: https://t.co/W46yIN2jY6 — Margot Sanger-Katz (@sangerkatz) April 20, 2017 Fairly critical review of Warren's new book by @emmaogreen Tho hard to admit as an econ, economics isn't everythinghttps://t.co/NnAjbKgkXw pic.twitter.com/oMkzXvUg2O — Hal Singer (@HalSinger) April 20, 2017 Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog Study: Nationwide medical marijuana laws would save lives — and a billion taxpayer dollars The gulf between the science of pot and federal policy grows wider. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   Republicans need a plan on taxes. This man has one. Dave Camp, known as one of Congress's most informed members on taxes, retired before the moment arrived. By Max Ehrenfreund  •  Read more »   Trump blasts foreign worker program at company that pays below-average wages to foreign workers Snap-on Tools pays below-average wages to the handful of foreign workers for whom the company has sought H-1B visas. By Tracy Jan  •  Read more »   Trump’s former advisers say he’s doing tax reform all wrong It's a surprising rebuke from an influential group of conservatives. By Max Ehrenfreund  •  Read more »   This insane chart shows just how much voters care about Trump’s conflicts of interest The White House says the public doesn't care. This chart says otherwise. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Federal Insider Federal news and policy update, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071