Trump Shakes Up Tech Industry with Steep H-1B Visa Fees

This is your Republican News and info tracker podcast.

Donald Trump has dominated headlines over the past few days with his administration's announcement of a dramatic hike in visa fees, specifically a new $100,000 charge for companies filing new H-1B visa petitions for skilled foreign workers. According to PBS NewsHour and recent White House briefings, this change immediately rattled major tech companies like Microsoft, J.P. Morgan, and Amazon, which urged employees on these visas not to leave the country until they had greater clarity. The new fee targets only new petitioners applying from outside the United States, with the Trump administration arguing that these measures are necessary to prevent perceived abuse of the H-1B program, which Trump claims allows companies to hire foreign workers for lower wages than would otherwise be paid to American citizens.

The White House clarified through Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that the $100,000 fee is a one-time charge and does not apply to individuals who already hold valid H-1B visas or to those renewing existing visas. Companies seeking to bring new skilled workers from abroad will be most affected, as the order doesn’t touch existing visa holders or affect other categories like student or tourist visas. However, the move has already generated confusion and anxiety among foreign workers and employers—particularly those in tech—while legal experts expect the policy will soon be challenged in federal court. There’s continuing uncertainty over whether these rules will apply to universities and nonprofit organizations as well.

Alongside immigration policy, Trump made additional waves by ordering a new set of media restrictions for journalists covering the Pentagon, which he has rebranded as the Department of War. Reporters must now sign a pledge not to use information unless it is formally cleared by the department, or risk losing their press credentials. This shift has triggered concerns regarding government transparency and freedom of the press.

In the realm of legal maneuvering and investigations, a notable departure occurred as the federal prosecutor tasked with a mortgage fraud inquiry into New York Attorney General Letitia James resigned. Trump announced via social media that he was responsible for the removal, citing the prosecutor’s supposed ties to Democratic officials, although no criminal charges had resulted from the investigation up to this point.

While these developments have been the most high-profile Republican Party and Trump-related stories over the last few days, the Republican National Committee itself has been relatively quiet as it anticipates the aftershocks of the visa policy and the party’s increasingly aggressive posture on national security and immigration issues. These trends only underscore Trump’s firm grip on the party and its priorities heading into the final stretch of the year.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Donald Trump has dominated headlines over the past few days
with his administration's announcement of a dramatic hike and visa fees,
specifically a new one hundred thousand dollars charge for companies
filing new H one B visa petitions for skilled foreign workers.
According to PBS News Hour and recent White House briefings,
this change immediately rattled major tech companies like Microsoft, JP, Morgan,

(00:24):
and Amazon, which urged employees on these visas not to
leave the country until they had greater clarity. The new
fee targets only new petitioners applying from outside the United States,
with the Trump administration arguing that these measures are necessary
to prevent perceived abuse of the H one B program,
which Trump claims allows companies to hire foreign workers for

(00:47):
lower wages than would otherwise be paid to American citizens.
The one canst after companies seeking to bring new skilled
workers from abroad will be most affected, as the order
doesn't touch it existing visa holders or affect other categories
like student or tourist visas. However, however, there is continuing

(01:27):
uncertainty over whether these rules will apply to universities and
nonprofit organizations as well. Alongside immigration policy. Trump made additional
waves by ordering a new set of media restrictions for
journalists covering the Pentagon, which he has rebranded as the
Department of War. Reporters must now sign a pledge not

(01:47):
to use information unless it is formally cleared by the Department,
or risk losing their press credentials. This shift has triggered
concerns regarding government transparency and freedom of the press. In

(02:17):
the realm of legal maneuvering and investigations, a notable departure
occurred as the federal prosecutor tasked with a mortgage fraud
inquiry into New York Attorney General Letitia James resigned. Trump

(02:37):
announced via social media that he was responsible for the removal,
citing the prosecutor's supposed ties to democratic officials, although no
criminal charges had resulted from the investigation up to this point.
While Wild Footprint presented the rocks of before the rock
Perber two Float Jigstar, the Republican National Committee itself has

(02:59):
been real relatively quiet as it anticipates the aftershocks of
the visa policy and the party's increasingly aggressive posture on
national security and immigration issues. These trends only underscore Trump's
firm grip on the party and its priorities heading into
the final stretch of the year. Thank you for tuning
in and don't forget to subscribe. This is going to

(03:22):
Quiet please production. For more check out Quiet please dot
ai