The conditions for bringing a lawsuit against a foreign state. The Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing is chaired by senator Lindsey Graham of south carolina. Generally speaking, we have a foreign sovereign immunities act , basically shutting off lawsuits against other nations because whatever we do to them, they can do to us. We made exceptions to it. We have amended the act regarding terrorist activities. This is not an issue i take lightly. Ive thought ang lot about. My colleagues have worked to put together legislation, they have reconciled the legislation. Want to have a hearing about what it would mean if we amended the act to allow suits against china. And why would we take this unprecedented step . This is the third pandemic to come out of china. The coronavirus came from hunan province, but it was a mistake in a lab or spread at a wet market, i dont know, but we do know where it came from. We know china failed to inform the world about the nature of the virus that did restrict
I have an Opening Statement i would like to submit for the record. Ill do so without objection. And make a few comments. Today, were having a hearing about the foreign sovereign immunities act, coronavirus and addressing chinas culpability. Generally speaking, we have a foreign sovereign immunities act basically shutting off lawsuits against other nations because whatever we do to them, they can do to us. We made exceptions to it. We have amended the act four years ago regarding terrorist activities. This is not an issue i take lightly. This is something i have thought a lot about. My colleagues have worked to put together legislation. They have reconciled the legislation. I think senator blackburn, hawley, and others, and what would it mean if we amend suits to china. And why would we take this unprecedented step . This is the third pandemic to come out of china. The coronavirus came from wuhan province. Whether it was a mistake in the lab or spread at a wet market, i dont know, but w
Pandemic spread throughout the United States over the past 13 weeks. And while the white house is encouraged that more than half of those have found work, President Trump has chosen to suspend visas of Foreign Workers who would be in direct competition with American Workers. The new executive order suspends h1b visas for professional workers, h4 visas for their immediate family members, the order also restricts h2b visas for Agricultural Workers and l1 visas that allow multinational corporations to transfer their employees into the United States. As well as j1 visas for work and studybased exchange programs, all of them suspended until the end of the year. These impact, of course, the president s executive order, its much larger than anyone could have expected. It will affect hundreds of thousands of Foreign Workers seeking those visas, of course, and state Department Data shows that is a big number. That of the nearly one million temporary work visas approved, almost 190,000 were h1b
Pandemic spread throughout the United States over the past 13 weeks. And while the white house is encouraged that more than half of those have found work, President Trump has chosen to suspend visas of Foreign Workers who would be in direct competition with American Workers. The new executive order suspends h1b visas for professional workers, h4 visas for their immediate family members, the order also restricts h2b visas for Agricultural Workers and l1 visas that allow multinational corporations to transfer their employees into the United States. As well as j1 visas for work and studybased exchange programs, all of them suspended until the end of the year. These impact, of course, the president s executive order, its much larger than anyone could have expected. It will affect hundreds of thousands of Foreign Workers seeking those visas, of course, and state Department Data shows that is a big number. That of the nearly one million temporary work visas approved, almost 190,000 were h1b
Certainly china is to blame and has to be held accountable. View, doesr point of the sovereign immunity act need to be amended at all to allow you to move forward . We are moving forward because we believe that is how we proceeded on our lawsuit which we filed in the United States Federal District court of mississippi. That onportant to note the foreign sovereign immunities act, the commercial activity section is an act based on commercial activity in china that has a direct effect on the United States and they may not be immune. A reference to the nature of the court of conduct and a particular transaction or act. China was engaged in commercial activity, including the production, purchasing, import and export of ppes. Even essentially nationalizing the manufacturing. We believe this exception is workable and that is why i am proceeding with our lawsuit. Now, certainly the amendments of the Foreign Policy immune act would be helpful. Providing additional exceptions provides us broader