Trump’s H-1B move a mistake, says visiting US Congressman Ami Bera
Indian-origin US Congressman Ami Bera said the move is going to hurt US companies as they need technology workers
Indian-origin US Congressman Ami Bera, a Democrat who was en route to Delhi when President Donald Trump announced $100,000 annual application fee on the H-1B visa programme, has called the move, effectively shutting the door on skilled Indian employees, a mistake.
The US awards 85,000 H-1B visas annually on a lottery system. India accounts for around three-quarters of the recipients. Large American technology firms rely on Indian workers.
“It caught us by surprise. We get on an airplane in the United States, and you have no idea this is going to happen. [We]... land in India, and it is front page news,” said Bera, who is in India to meet business leaders and government officials.
He said the move is going to hurt US companies. “...clearly we need these technology workers. I do not think they are displacing the US workforce. I think there are plenty of jobs in the United States, and India does have a well-educated technical group of individuals that benefit our economy, benefit our companies,” said Bera, who has served in the US Congress for 14 years and is the longest-serving Indian-American there.
Bera said the H-1B announcement has created panic among US employers. “Talking and listening to some of our companies like Microsoft and others, they are telling their employees, ‘Hey, don’t leave the country right now, or if you’re out of the country, get back into the United States.’ It has been chaotic, right? You have [commerce secretary] Howard Lutnick saying one thing, and then they have to walk it back. So it sends a lot of uncertainty,” said Bera, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Lutnick, who stood beside Trump at the signing of the H-1B proclamation, described the $100,000 levy as an “annual” fee that would apply to both new applications and renewals. His remarks sparked panic across the tech sector, with many believing even existing visa holders would be hit. Many foreign workers rushed back to the US as companies issued advisories ahead of the September 21 deadline.
The White House clarified that the charge, a one-time payment, applies only to new applications and does not affect renewals or current H-1B workers.
Bera said that is not how a policy should be rolled out. “If this is something they were thinking about, they should have informed Congress. We should have had a debate on it. We should have understood how this was going to get rolled out and implemented,” said Bera. He added that Congress is likely to revisit the issue when it reconvenes, and they are also hoping for bipartisanship on the issue.
Bera warned that the move could ultimately backfire on the US by pushing companies to expand operations in India rather than bringing skilled workers to America. He admitted the India-US relationship has entered a rough patch, calling certain Trump administration decisions missteps.
“Throughout my almost 14 years in Congress, the trajectory has always been very positive, and that precedes me being in Congress. You go back to President Bush and President Clinton. We have always talked about this being a defining relationship in the 21st century. We have got to get it to a better place.”
The India-US relations have been strained in recent months with Trump’s imposition of 50% tariffs on Indian goods, including a punitive levy on Russian oil purchases. On Friday, the US revoked a sanctions waiver that allowed India to establish a presence at the strategic Iranian port of Chabahar.
Bera said steep tariffs would backfire. “Now, I do not think the 50% tariffs are realistic for anyone. It is certainly going to hurt Indian workers, but it is going to hurt American consumers, because a lot of India’s products are exported to the United States.”
Bera referred to commerce minister Piyush Goyal’s visit to the US for trade talks and pointed to breakthroughs with other Asian partners. “Japan was able to get to a better place, and Korea was able to get to a better place. I am optimistic...I hear behind the scenes that there is progress being made, so I would hope we see some announcements coming out of New York this week.”
Bera said India-Pakistan put together what is now a “tenuous ceasefire,” even as Trump has maintained he brokered peace in May. He stressed that the US could play only a supportive role. Bera said Trump’s insistence soured sentiment in India and created unnecessary confusion.
He underlined that the US Congress remains committed to the relationship. “I think it is important for the Indian people to know that we understand the relationship,” he said.
