The Big Story: Biden administration hits the ground running on immigration. The technology sector is already rallying behind President Joe Biden’s early immigration moves, which have included rolling back several of the previous administration’s harmful immigration policies and proposing legislation that would overhaul the nation’s immigration system. Now, entrepreneurs are hopeful that Biden will continue to undo the last administration’s policies, which have, among other things, limited tech companies’ access to high-skilled, foreign born talent.
Shortly after his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States, Biden signed 17 executive orders, proclamations, and memorandums to overturn preceding policies, including six focused on immigration. Two of the president’s actions repealed the previous administration’s travel ban on foreign nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries and preserved and strengthened the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Among the White House’s initial steps was to also institute a 60-day moratorium on rules from federal agencies and executive departments that had not yet taken effect, which includes a final rule from the Department of Homeland Security that would have effectively replaced the H-1B visa lottery with a system that prioritized petitions with the highest salaries. And Biden also unveiled a sweeping immigration bill that would provide an eight-year pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, while also granting work authorization to the dependents of temporary visa holders, like those in the U.S. on the H-1B visa program. The bill would also eliminate annual per-country limits on employment visas.
Tech leaders voiced their support for the administration’s early moves on immigration and pledged to work more closely with the Biden team, highlighting in part the important role that immigrants, including high-skilled, foreign-born workers play in supporting the U.S. economy. Earlier this week, Engine and more than 180 organizations and individuals signed a National Immigration Forum statement that called on the Biden administration and Congress to reform the nation’s immigration system and create an environment “where people can come from around the world to work, contribute, and build a better life for themselves, their families, and our society as a whole.” In furtherance of this goal, the Biden administration should continue to work to bolster the H-1B program to meet the needs of the tech sector, and should also consider other measures—such as creating a startup visa program and implementing the Obama-era International Entrepreneur Rule that was threatened under the last administration—to ensure the U.S. remains a hub of innovation.
The entrepreneurial community has long expressed concern that efforts to curtail immigration and limit the H-1B visa program would decrease U.S. innovation and harm global competitiveness by forcing high-skilled workers to move to other countries in search of opportunities in the technology industry. While President Biden’s initial immigration moves are a positive step forward, we are hopeful that the administration will continue to remove regulatory barriers when it comes to accessing crucially-needed talent. Congress, the White House, and other federal officials should continue to pursue an immigration agenda that emboldens the U.S. tech sector and welcomes high-skilled workers from across the world.
Policy Roundup:
Biden appoints acting chairs to FCC, FTC. President Biden announced this week that he has appointed Jessica Rosenworcel to serve as interim chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission until an official chair is confirmed. Rosenworcel, a current FCC commissioner, is a supporter of strong net neutrality protections and has called for expanding broadband access to the country’s underserved communities. Biden also announced the appointment of Rebecca Kelly Slaughter to serve as acting chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission. As we noted earlier this week, the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to fill vacancies atop federal agencies that contribute to technology and small business policy should be guided by a commitment to supporting and enabling the U.S. startup ecosystem.
Following Capitol riot, Congress turns its attention to content moderation. The Internet industry is under renewed scrutiny from policymakers following this month’s violent pro-Trump riot at the Capitol, due in large part to allegations that large technology companies have not done enough to curb violent or harmful content on their platforms. Online companies have in recent weeks increased efforts to remove conspiratorial and harmful content from their websites. And the politics around removing far-right content has complicated companies’ attempts to more aggressively moderate posts containing extremist content on their sites.
Engine asks Biden team to think about startups when choosing next USPTO director. In a letter to the Biden Administration this week, Engine outlined the principles that we hope will guide the selection of the next director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The USPTO director can play an important role in supporting the nation’s startup innovators, but the agency’s efforts in recent years to deprioritize patent quality have increasingly allowed low-quality patents to remain in force and be weaponized against early-stage companies. We encouraged the administration to nominate a director who will “promote patent quality and balance, engage diverse stakeholders, and embody the diversity we want to see in the nation’s innovation ecosystems.”
Startup Roundup:
#StartupsEverywhere: New York City, New York. As scientists and other researchers continue to raise concerns about the role of methane in global warming, startups like Bluefield Technologies are using satellites, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to better pinpoint methane emissions from space. We spoke with the Founder and CEO of Bluefield Technologies, Yotam Ariel, to learn more about his startup’s work, his experience as an immigrant entrepreneur, and how policymakers can support the growth of other innovative immigrant-founded startups across the country.
