Last night, President Obama awarded the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation to four renowned, foreign-born innovators working here in the United States, showing once again the long history of contributions made by highly educated immigrants to our country.

This week, the White House hosted a Science Fair as part of its “Educate to Innovate” initiative to help American students excel in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.

As part of the “Educate to Innovate” initiative, President Obama launched “Change the Equation,” a CEO-led organization created to improve STEM education in the United States, which includes Compete America-affiliated organizations.

As the UK considers permanent rules to restrict employers’ ability to hire key talent, a temporary cap on hiring skilled and highly skilled workers from outside the European Union, in place since June, has already had a “negative impact,” as reported in the Wall Street Journal.

According to the National Science Board, only 33% of bachelor’s degrees in the United States are in science or engineering, compared to 51% in Singapore, 53% in China, and 63% in Japan. To compete in the world’s innovation economy, the United States must have a domestic workforce prepared for employment in these highly sought after STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

As the House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing today on “The Role of Immigration in Strengthening America's Economy,” a new policy memo from The Hamilton Project offers a comprehensive economic analysis of immigration in America.