Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

There's A White House Clash Over Whether To Extend Freeze On Many Work Visas

There's A White House Clash Over Whether To Extend Freeze On Many Work Visas

In June, President Trump halted various temporary work visas, including H-1B, L-1 and certain J-1 visas. Advocates for an extension say it would tie the hands of President-elect Joe Biden.

A clash has broken out between factions at the White House over whether to extend an expiring freeze on various temporary work visas, including those used by foreign high-tech workers and by au pairs, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

The measure, which President Trump signed earlier in 2020, is due to expire at the end of the year, on Thursday.

The business community has pushed to lift the six-month moratorium, arguing it threatens America's economic interests, while proponents for an extension say the conditions created by the pandemic that warranted the suspension still exist.

Advocates for an extension also argue it would tie the hands of President-elect Joe Biden, who would need to weigh the political implications of lifting the moratorium next year when many U.S. workers will likely remain jobless because of the pandemic.

The White House declined to comment, and the Biden transition did not immediately respond to questions. The two sources familiar with the debate sought anonymity to detail internal White House deliberations.

Trump signed a proclamation in June suspending entry to non-U.S. citizens who "present a risk to the U.S. labor market following the coronavirus outbreak."
Among those are holders of high-skilled H-1B visas, used in the tech industry, as well as executive L-1 visas and certain J-1 visas used by au pairs. The measure was aimed at applicants for new visas.

The proclamation was actually an extension of Trump's earlier "Buy American, Hire American" executive order, which called for federal agencies to take stronger action to enforce immigration laws to protect U.S. workers.

But the signing in June not only put foreign workers' plans on hold, it also left thousands of American parents expecting the help of an au pair scrambling for child care. The ban came at a particularly difficult time as the demand for child care exploded when schools and day cares shut down because of the pandemic.

Ahead of the moratorium's expiration, advocate groups on both sides of the issue have exerted strong pressure on the White House.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers sued the Trump administration, charging that the rules would "devastate companies across various industries" if allowed to stand.

"Banning critical and skilled workers from entering the country was a mistake, and it disrupted manufacturers' fight against COVID-19 at exactly the wrong time," NAM's general counsel, Linda Kelly, told NPR in a statement Wednesday. "Manufacturers' legal case halted the ban and ensured we could continue leading our pandemic response and economic recovery. Any effort to extend this misguided and unlawful policy would only hamper recovery efforts and undermine innovation at this consequential moment in our nation's history."

In October, a judge blocked the Trump administration's ban on many foreign worker visas, but the ruling only applied to the companies represented by the business groups involved in the case.

Advocates who favor tighter immigration restrictions argue the public health and economic crisis created by the pandemic is still the same as it was six months ago.

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, wrote a letter this week urging Trump to extend the measures well into 2021, noting it would leave Biden with a tough policy and political decision.

"If Joe Biden does end up entering the Oval Office and quickly rescinds this Proclamation, he will have to answer to the American people and tell them why he decided to increase immigration and restore unfettered access to guest workers in the midst of the greatest economic crisis in living memory," Stein wrote in the letter that has also been circulated around Capitol Hill.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×