President Trump on Wednesday touted hardline legislation that would slash the number of legal immigrants who come to the US annually in half and create a system based on merit and jobs skills instead of family connections.

Trump and conservative GOP Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas said the bill would save taxpayer’s money by limiting non-skilled immigrants, who they said were more likely to wind up on welfare.

“It’s great to be here today to unveil legislation that would represent the most significant reform to our immigration system in a half a century,” Trump said from the White House, adding that immigrants who speak English would be prioritized.

The bill, which has languished in the Senate since Cotton and Perdue introduced it in February, would “reduce poverty, increase wages and save taxpayers billions and billions of dollars.”

The plan would let in only immigrants who “can speak English, financially support themselves and their families,” according to the president.

“They’re not going to come in and just immediately go on welfare,” he said.

According to the administration, only one out of every 15 immigrants to the US comes here because of their skills.

The White House said 1 million immigrants come into the country and get Green Cards granting them permanent legal status every year — and Trump, Perdue and Cotton want that number slashed by half.

More than 50 percent of all immigrant households receive welfare benefits, compared to only 30 percent of native households in the US that receive welfare benefits, according to the administration.

Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a priority for his administration and has tried to slash federal grants for cities that refuse to comply with federal efforts to detain and deport those living in the country illegally.

Pushing the bill puts him at the center of efforts to make changes to the legal immigration system as well.

But the bill has been largely ignored in the Senate, with no other lawmaker signing on as a co-sponsor.

And passage may be a longshot, as GOP leaders have showed no inclination to vote on immigration this year.

The bill — called the RAISE Act, for Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment — would also aim to slash the number of refugees in half and eliminate a program that provides visas to countries with low rates of immigration.

Some immigrant advocates have criticized the proposal, saying that slashing legal immigration would hurt industries like agriculture and harm the economy.

“Our system is broken, but the response should be to modernize it, not take a sledgehammer to it,” said Jeremy Robbins, executive director of New American Economy, a group of business leaders, mayors and others backed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that advocates for comprehensive immigration reform.

With AP