Last Monday David Carle, Leahy's spokesman when asked about the prospects for EB-5 reform legislation in light of the new President-elect Trump stated: "That would be pure speculation, I have never heard Trump comment on the program one way or the other." Leahy was elected to his eight term in the Senate ealier this month and according to Carle, the Senator continue to support the proposed EB-5 changes.
Carle affirmed that the Senator "made it very clear he does not support doing the program without reforms."
U.S. Representative Peter Welch indicating that he was not sure exactly what to expect in the upcoming lame duck session regarding EB-5 legislation. According to the Representative the recent election throws a lot of things into upheaval, including the EB-5 program. Nobody knows Donald Trump's position on EB-5 because he never spoke about it during his campaign.
Welch asserted that he would be surprised to see Trump, a New York City real estate developer, take lead as an EB-5 reformer. This is because the EB-5 program has benefited his industry and it has been used widely in New York City.
At this stage Welch is skeptical that Congress will be able to implement a new EB-5 program with reforms or even an extension as it has done since the end of August 2016.