WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema met with leading Arizona employers to discuss solutions to the ongoing workforce challenges facing the business community.
“Right now, Arizona employers are struggling to recruit and retain the skilled workforce needed to build a healthy economy. We’ll keep working to fuel economic opportunities for everyday Arizonans and ensure businesses of all sizes can thrive,” said Sinema.
During the meeting, Sinema asked participants to identify specific workforce shortages and upskilling and reskilling opportunities to help inform future legislation.
At the end of last year, Sinema partnered with Republican Senator Thom Tillis (N.C) on a bipartisan proposal to fuel investments in Border Patrol Agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations Officers; reassert control of the border through increased enforcement, technology, resources, and more; modernize the asylum system; reform the employment visa system to ensure our nation’s global competitiveness; and establish a pathway to citizenship for roughly 2 million Dreamers who were brought to this country when they were children through no fault of their own.
In January, Sinema led the largest bipartisan delegation in recent memory of U.S. Senators to the Southwest border in El Paso, Texas, and Yuma, Arizona, to see firsthand the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis that Arizona border communities witness every day. During the Congressional delegation, Sinema convened a roundtable with participating U.S. Senators, nonprofits, local law enforcement, and local elected leaders, highlighting the challenges presented by the ongoing border crisis. Earlier this month, Sinema participated in a Congressional delegation to Mexico City to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and other Mexican government officials.
Over 99% of Arizona’s businesses are small businesses. Throughout her time in Congress, Sinema has maintained a sharp focus on advancing pro-growth policies that promote economic competitiveness and ensure small and mid-sized businesses have the resources needed to thrive.
Last week, Sinema met with the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rob Elias and Chairwoman Karla Bernal Morales to discuss fueling economic opportunities in Southern Arizona.
###