By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell and Emilia Sykes are urging the Department of Homeland Security to exempt health care workers from a newly implemented H-1B visa fee that lawmakers say is already straining hospitals and health care providers nationwide.
Sewell, D-Ala., chair of the New Democrat Coalition Health Care Working Group, and Sykes, D-Ohio, chair of the coalition’s Housing Task Force, led a group of Democratic lawmakers in sending a letter to DHS calling for immediate action.
The request follows a policy implemented by the Trump administration in September 2025 that imposed a $100,000 fee on certain H-1B visa petitions. Health care leaders warn the sharp increase is worsening workforce shortages, driving up costs and reducing access to care, particularly in rural and underserved communities, according to Sewell’s office.
The United States is already experiencing significant shortages of physicians, nurses, behavioral health providers and other medical professionals. Lawmakers said the new fee is making it more difficult for hospitals to recruit and retain doctors, especially in pediatric and specialty care fields.
“Rural communities are particularly vulnerable due to limited infrastructure, transportation challenges and fewer local medical professionals,” Sewell’s office said in a release. “The added cost and uncertainty for employers threatens innovation, research and the quality of patient care.”
In their letter, the lawmakers said access to health care remains a top priority and warned the fee could have far-reaching consequences.
“The Proclamation issued September 19, 2025, poses a serious threat to the health care workforce in our districts,” the lawmakers wrote. “Fewer health care workers means higher costs, longer wait times and greater distances traveled for patients to receive care.”
The lawmakers urged DHS to move quickly to exempt health care professionals from the fee, arguing that delays could further disrupt patient care and place additional strain on already overstretched health systems.
They said an exemption would help stabilize the workforce while preserving access to essential medical services across the country.