WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has filled some of his top White House posts with people who not only support expanding the H-1B visa program, but also see offshore outsourcing as a plus for the U.S. economy. That group includes the president's new pick to run the Commerce Department, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.).



But another one of Obama's choices, Diana Farrell, may be just as important in shaping White House policy. The former director of the McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey & Co.'s economics research arm, Farrell has been tapped to serve on the National Economic Council and as deputy economic adviser to the president.



McKinsey, a management consulting firm, has published research that argues that offshore outsourcing to low-wage countries brings "substantial benefits" to the U.S. Its studies and reports have been cited by the tech industry in support of the H-1B visa program.



Farrell may have the president's ear, but it's Gregg, as Commerce Secretary, who may well become the White House lead for expanding the cap on H-1B visas, a position Gregg strongly supported in the Senate. Obama voiced support early in his campaign for increasing the 85,000-visa cap, which includes 20,000 visas set aside for advanced-degree graduates from U.S. universities. But he has not addressed the issue in recent months.



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