Indian American Rep. Pramila Jayapal Praises CBO Report on Immigrants' Positive Economic Contributions

August 8 :
To discuss the implications of the CBO's new report on the scoring of future legislation, Indian American Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, has written to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to request a meeting.

The research titled "Effects of the Immigration Surge on the Federal Budget and the Economy" emphasized that the United States' fiscal deficit is anticipated to be substantially diminished by immigrants. The work of the CBO on immigration has brought much-needed data and rigorous analysis about the positive contributions of immigrants to the public debate and talks in Congress, according to Ranking Member Jayapal's statement.

"Recent immigrants are projected to lower the deficit by nearly US$ 1 trillion over the next 10 years and add 1.2 trillion in revenue over that same time period," she continued, according to the CBO's assessment and other recent fiscal predictions. Our gross domestic product will grow by 8.9 trillion US dollars from 2024 to 2034, according to the estimate, all thanks to newly arrived immigrants.

In her letter, Jayapal emphasized that the CBO's immigration work has offered crucial information and comprehensive analysis, showing how immigrants have positively impacted public and Congressional deliberations. The lawmaker concluded from the analysis that the public and lawmakers alike would be better served by using a scoring method that adequately accounts for immigrants' contributions wherever possible when drafting immigration legislation.


Jayapal asked the CBO for clarification on a number of issues, including the limitations the agency has in not giving Congress these kinds of estimates on particular immigration legislation proposals and the people who should be considered for roles in discussions to alter the default data sent to Congress in these kinds of situations. She wanted to know who can ask the CBO to use a more thorough scoring method for legislation and amendments, and what exactly goes into these reviews.

Jayapal has been vocal on the importance of acknowledging immigrants' contributions to the American economy. To highlight the value of immigrants to companies of all sizes, she convened a news conference earlier this year with prominent businesspeople from around the country.