A Huge Change for U.S. Jobs - 8/26/26

If you want to hire foreign workers, you might have to shell out more than $100,000. In a proposed new rule announced Monday, the Trump administration informed American companies they might soon have to pony up a $103,265 fee for every H-1B worker they hire. Now, you might remember, the Trump administration had a previous rule similar to this, but it was struck down by a federal judge this summer. The new proposed rule has been designed to withstand judicial review. This $100,000 fee would not just apply to new H-1B applicants, but it would be applied to every H-1B worker.

So, what happens next? Well, let us begin. Every H-1B worker currently in the United States. Now, supporters of the initial law that allowed H-1B visas claimed it was meant for foreign workers with specialized knowledge when employees couldn't find an American to fill the job. But Laura Reese of the Heritage Foundation said, many employers have exploited H-1B visas for 30 years to pay foreign workers lower wages while shutting out American employees. This proposed H-1B fee should prevent some of this type of fraud and open up job opportunities for Americans.

In a social media post touting the move, Vice President J.D. Vance said, if an American corporation needs workers, it should hire and train Americans. Meanwhile, over at The Loop, conversions to Catholicism are surging at colleges nationwide, and the Trump administration moves to strip the American Bar Association of law school accreditation. Today is the feast of St. Jean-Elisabeth Bichet, who was a French religious sister and co-founder of the Daughters of the Cross, who dedicated her life to educating rural children and caring for the poor and sick.

I'm Josh Mercer, editor of The Loop, taking you behind the headlines. Go to zeal.co for the rest of today's loop, and while you're at it, subscribe to get The Loop in your inbox every morning. Again, that's zeal.co.