Trump
US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) criticised federal judges after a court struck down his administration’s proposed $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications. Calling the situation “crazy”, Trump said the courts were creating obstacles for his administration.Speaking to reporters while departing New York after attending an NBA Finals game, Trump criticised the judiciary and said federal judges were making it difficult for his administration to implement its policies.“These federal judges are really giving us a hard time. It’s really crazy what’s going on with the court system… They’re hurting our country very badly,” Trump said.The court ruled that the proposed fee amounted to an unlawful tax and had not been authorised by the US Congress. The decision dealt a setback to the administration’s efforts to introduce the measure.The White House also defended the proposed fee and signalled that it would challenge the ruling. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers argued that the H-1B visa programme had been misused for years and said the administration had acted to address the issue.“The H-1B programme has been abused for decades, and President Trump finally took action to fix it,” Rogers said.He added that the administration was confident the decision would be overturned in the appeals court.The court order, however, received support from lawmakers across party lines. Several legislators argued that the proposed fee would have created difficulties for sectors that depend on skilled foreign workers.Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said many school districts in remote parts of Alaska rely on the H-1B visa programme to recruit teachers.“Many school districts in rural and remote parts of the state rely on the H-1B visa programme to bring quality teachers to their communities,” she said.Democratic Congressman Don Beyer welcomed the ruling and said the fee would have increased pressure on healthcare facilities already facing staff shortages.Republican Congressman Mike Lawler also backed the court’s decision, saying he had been working to protect healthcare workers from the proposed fee.“I have been working to exempt healthcare workers from this fee that only exacerbates the current staffing shortages in healthcare,” Lawler said.Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. argued that the fee could discourage skilled professionals from coming to the United States.“The USD 100,000 fee for employers’ H-1B applications would have discouraged the best and the brightest from coming to America and helping our economy grow and innovate,” he said.Indian professionals receive a significant share of H-1B visas issued every year. The visa programme allows US employers to hire foreign professionals in specialised fields such as technology, engineering, healthcare and finance.The United States currently issues 65,000 regular H-1B visas annually, along with 20,000 additional visas for candidates holding advanced degrees from US institutions. According to immigration advocacy group FWD. us, around 730,000 H-1B visa holders and about 550,000 dependants currently live in the United States.
