During Friday’s Weekly Address, President Trump argued the immigration reform proposal he put forward with Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA) “ends the abuse of our welfare system, stops chain migration, and protects our workers and our economy.”

Transcript as Follows:

“My fellow Americans, As we celebrate American Dream Week at the White House, we continue to see incredible results.

This week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached an all-time high; never ever has it been so high. In May, the unemployment rate hit a 16-year low. And last quarter, real GDP growth increased to 2.6 percent. Prosperity is coming back to our shores because we’re putting America — workers and families first. The American Dream has always been about doing what we love and doing it for the people we love. Whether serving in the armed forces, manufacturing goods or starting a small business, our citizens pursue their aspirations and improve their lives — of millions in countless, countless ways.

Yet, for too long, the dreams of many Americans have been put out of reach by Washington. Washington funded one global project after another, while allowing other countries to drain our jobs and drain the wealth of the United States of America. Then, Washington taxed and regulated our own workers and industries, taking away their ability to earn a living.

But those days are over. My administration is working tirelessly on behalf of the American people. We have removed regulations and targeted unfair trade practices that are hurting Americans all over the world. We’re ending the war on coal and unleashing American energy. We’re introducing a tax plan to grow our economy and create more jobs.

Factories and plants are coming back into Michigan and Ohio and Pennsylvania and many other states. They’re coming back, instead of leaving like they have been for decades. And just this week, we announced a historic immigration bill to create a merit-based green card system that ends the abuse of our welfare system, stops chain migration, and protects our workers and our economy.

As an example, you cannot get welfare for five years when you come into our country. You can’t just come in, like in past weeks, years and decades — you come in, immediately start picking up welfare. For five years, you have to say you will not be asking — or using our welfare systems. As I said in my address to Congress, the time for dreaming big, bold and daring things for our country has begun.

When Americans are free to pursue their dreams, there is no limit to what we can achieve. This is truly an exciting time in our country. Every day, we’re accomplishing great things for our people.

Thank you. God bless you. God bless the United States. We’re really moving along. We’re bringing back our jobs. We’re making America great again.

Thank you.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett