The U.S. Department of Labour issued a post on social media recently, asserting that “American Jobs are for American workers”. This comes days after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed that US President Donald Trump has a “nuanced opinion” when it comes to the H-1B visa program, which has seen some major shakeup in the US.
In a recent press briefing, Leavitt stated that Trump does not support American workers being replaced and wants to see the manufacturing industry revitalised once more. She also said that when it comes to foreign companies, the Republican president wants “American workers in those jobs”.
“The President does not support American workers being replaced… The President wants to see the American manufacturing industry revitalised better than ever before. That’s part of what he’s doing with his effective use of tariffs and cutting good trade deals around the world,” Leavitt said.
She stated that Trump’s views on H-1B visa are “nuanced” and “common sense opinion”.
“If foreign companies are investing trillions of dollars in the United States of America and bringing in foreign workers to create niche products like batteries, he wants to see that at the beginning to get those manufacturing facilities and factories up and running. But ultimately, the President always wants to see American workers in those jobs,” she added.
Trump sent shockwaves across the tech world this year after he announced an unprecedented hike in the H-1B visa fee to a staggering $100,000, up to sixty times the cost. The White House later attempted to calm the storm, clarifying that the new fee would apply only to fresh applicants and was a one-time charge.
The White House has claimed that this overwhelming number of H-1B visas were being “abused” to undercut American wages and outsource IT jobs.
But in his latest comments, the US president appears to be softening his tough stance, suggesting the US should welcome more foreign workers. In a recent Fox News interview, Trump said that the US is in dire need of “skilled immigrant workers” in key industries.