Overview
- Trump said the U.S. lacks certain skills for semiconductor manufacturing and needs foreign experts to help train workers, reiterating that he will not end H‑1B.
- The administration’s approach pairs the new $100,000 supplemental fee on H‑1B petitions with Labor’s Project Firewall investigations, prompting lawsuits from business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
- Republicans such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and allies of Ron DeSantis are urging legislation to phase out or eliminate H‑1B, highlighting a growing intraparty split.
- Elon Musk wrote that America has a shortage of people willing or able to do challenging physical work, drawing online backlash as the labor debate expanded beyond tech roles.
- IIT leaders report students increasingly favor domestic opportunities as multinational GCCs in India grow, recruiters like Metaview tout sponsorship despite the fee, and Common App data show a 14% drop in Indian applications to U.S. colleges.