North Carolina U.S. Senator Thom Tillis says the federal government should overhaul regulations on seasonal worker visas or risk businesses shutting down.
The Republican legislator says he supports a provision in the federal budget that changes rules for H-2B visas, which allow foreign nationals to work on a temporary basis. It would exempt employees who have previously worked in the U.S. from counting against the yearly limit on H-2B visas.
In an interview on Fox Business Network, Tillis said without the exemption, businesses would have to spend more to attract workers.
"No business in their right mind would do that unless they're completely convinced - after having to advertise, after having to do wage surveys - that they can't simply find the jobs," Tillis said. "And these businesses are seasonal, so they just won't open."
Congress has set the cap on H-2B visas at 66,000 per fiscal year.