Layoff announcements by IT vendors came fast and furious over the past two weeks. But it was Microsoft Corp.'s that drew the attention of a U.S. senator, who said it was "imperative" that the company give job priority to U.S. citizens over foreigners with H-1B visas. "Microsoft has a moral obligation to protect... American workers by putting them first during these difficult economic times," Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote in a letter to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Jan. 22. Grassley, a vocal critic of the H-1B program, could have sent the letter to any of the vendors laying off employees - or to corporations with H-1B workers on their IT staffs. He likely singled out Microsoft because its chairman, Bill Gates, has called for an increase in the annual cap on visas during congressional hearings. Microsoft, which plans to cut up to 5,000 employees over the next 18 months, said last week that a "significant number" of the first 1,400 people being let go are foreign workers who are in the U.S. on visas.
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