U.S. President Donald Trump walks to the Oval Office after returning to the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb 24, 2017. (Xinhua file photo/Yin Bogu)
WASHINGTON, April 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a "Buy American, Hire American" executive order in Kenosha, Wisconsin, initiating visa and government purchase reforms.
"With this action, we are sending a powerful signal to the world: We're going to defend our workers, protect our jobs, and finally put America first," Trump told hundreds of factory workers before signing the document.
The document will bring in major changes regarding the H1B visa program, including closing loopholes for immigration fraud and a shift from the current lottery system to a mechanism that favors higher paid and higher skilled workers.
The document also directed government institutions to review current procurement requirements and step up the effort to limit government purchase to U.S. made goods.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that the executive order "will make significant progress towards Buy American and Hire American, the cornerstone of Trump's vision for a government that answers to the American workers who built this country."
The new directive also attracted skepticism from Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, who said Trump's policies put profits over people. He seems to do what the CEOs want, not what the workers want.
