Overview
- Lawmakers sent a Feb. 11 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging a health care exemption from the new $100,000 charge on employers filing fresh H‑1B petitions.
- The push was led by Reps. Yvette D. Clarke and Michael Lawler with support across parties and chambers, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
- The fee stems from a Sept. 19 presidential proclamation that permits DHS to issue sector-wide waivers in the national interest, and DHS has not announced a decision.
- The letter cites HRSA data showing nearly 87 million people live in shortage areas, physician demand could outpace supply by up to 86,000 in the next decade, and lab training programs are producing under half the needed professionals.
- Major health organizations backing the appeal warn the fee would deepen staffing gaps, especially at rural and urban safety-net hospitals that have long relied on H‑1B clinicians, lab specialists, and researchers.