Eric Thomas 202-822-9491 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 28, 2007

Compete America Vows to Press On in Wake of Senate Vote

Coalition Will Continue to Pursue Key Element of American Innovation Agenda

Washington, D.C. – Compete America expressed disappointment in today’s cloture vote on the Senate’s Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, as it will likely delay much-needed reform to the H-1B visa and employment-based green card systems for highly educated foreign professionals.

“Innovation is the key to America’s economic leadership, yet we are in danger of falling behind our international competitors in many critical areas,” said Robert Hoffman, Vice President for Government and Public Affairs at Oracle and Co-Chair of Compete America.  “The challenges U.S. employers face to remain innovation leaders will require Compete America to continue to seek congressional action to fix the outdated visa system for top international talent.”

Compete America has been supportive of the Senate process as the debate on comprehensive immigration reform has evolved, and attributed today’s vote to issues unrelated to H-1B visa and EB green card reform – which passed the Senate by a wide bipartisan margin last year.

“Today’s vote is not the end of the line, as we will redouble our efforts in both the House and Senate to help ensure that U.S. employers have both the tools and the educated workforce necessary for the U.S. economy to innovate and grow,” Hoffman concluded.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, please visit www.competeamerica.org.