A funny thing happened on the way to passing a stimulus package. At a time when economists are begging for the immediate passage of a stimulus package, two senators have attached an amendment to the stimulus bill that will bar all TARP fund recipients from hiring H-1B employees for one year. Without debating the consequences of the amendment, one must question the timing of Senators Sanders’ (I-VT) and Grassley’s (R-IA) amendment. There is almost universal agreement that the United States needs a quick response to the current economic difficulties facing the nation. Shouldn’t that be the top priority of Congress? Why attach an amendment that will possibly delay the stimulus bill’s passage? Certainly Senators Sanders and Grassley have a right to express their concerns about the H-1B program, but please do not risk the country’s economy. If the two senators have an ax to grind with the H-1B program, they should wait until the stimulus package is passed and then debate the merits of the H-1B program – perhaps while debating comprehensive immigration reform.