Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors Act

Floor Speech

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S. 2245, the Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors Act, or KIWI Act, is bipartisan legislation to allow citizens of New Zealand to participate, along with the people of more than 80 other countries, in the E-1 and E-2 visa programs for treaty traders and treaty investors, so long as New Zealand provides the same reciprocal treatment to citizens of the United States.

I favor this commonsense bill that will facilitate trade by making it easier for New Zealanders to invest here and will lead to the creation of new jobs in the United States.

The E-1 treaty trader program provides temporary visas to employees of firms engaged in substantial trade with our country. The E-2 treaty investor program provides temporary visas to foreign investors who make substantial investments in American enterprise.

These visas help increase trade with and direct investments in the U.S. More than 80 countries already participate in the programs, including almost all of our democratic allies and trading partners. Yet New Zealand, one our closest and dearest allies, is not on the list.

There are already many New Zealand companies in the U.S., just as there are many of our companies in New Zealand. In 2016, our two countries engaged in approximately $12 billion of bilateral trade in goods and services; and the U.S. is already the second most popular destination for New Zealand foreign investment, accounting for 17 percent of all foreign investment by New Zealanders in 2016, for a total of $3.2 billion dollars.

Bringing New Zealand into the E-1 and E-2 programs will increase trade and bilateral investment flows, helping both of our countries accelerate economic growth and job creation.

While so much of our foreign policy is consumed today with dangerous and counterproductive trade wars against our allies, which is harmful to our farmers, especially our soybean, corn, and livestock farmers, I am glad that this bill will actually strengthen ties with one of America's closest and most steadfast allies.

Congratulations are in order for Senator Hirono, who championed this bill in the Senate, where it passed last month by unanimous consent. I also congratulate my Judiciary colleague, Darrell Issa, who authored the companion bill in the House. They both deserve credit for identifying this deficiency in our immigration laws and working across the aisle to craft a smart solution that has gained broad support in the body for adoption. Our country will be more prosperous and so, presumably, will be New Zealand as a result of their efforts.

I also want to thank Chairman Goodlatte and Chairwoman Ileana Ros- Lehtinen of the Foreign Affairs Committee for their support and work on behalf of this important legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support S. 2245, the KIWI Act.

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