The Summer Work Program and Federal Funds

To the Editor:
Like most of your constituents I have been staying home during this war on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic instead of driving School Bus A2 and my Very Special Kids to and from school.
I fully admit I have no idea what might be involved but I want to share a though about an article I read a year or two ago.… Our local economy is very depended on tourism, especially our ocean front towns and cities.
Every year New Jersey is flooded with international students who come to the United States through a federal visa program. The boardwalks, amusements piers and water parks are the main beneficiaries of these federal programs. “It’s good for the kids that come here in that the American dollar is often worth a heck of a lot more than where they come from.  Ride operators shuffle thrill seekers onto machines that whirl and plunge, spin or swing. Concessionaires dish out treats — fried, sweet or sometimes both. But ask any of these workers where they call home, and you’re more likely to find someone from Bulgaria than Dennis Township or Egypt instead of New Jersey.
 Like most I’m not sure how this coming summer and the new normal is going to unfold, but, with so many unemployed, especially our young adults, (College and High School Students) and all the restrictions on travel especially international travel. This year the Federal Visa Summer Work program needs to be suspended and those federal funds redirected to hiring local summer workers.
This year when a visitor asks, “Where you from? Let them hear I live here, I live in Middle Township, Lower Township, Atlantic County, Cape May County, Cumberland County.
“My home is right here in New Jersey”… Hopefully Congressman Jeff Van Drew will read this.