Key business groups are hesitant to criticize Trump’s H-1B visa rule

In the wake of the Trump administration’s sudden overhaul to the H-1B visa program, influential business groups are publicly staying on the sidelines. For now, at least.

Last week, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that added a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, a specific visa granted to skilled foreign professionals allowing them to temporarily work in the U.S that’s popular with major tech companies. It raised alarm among businesses of all sizes and employees who feared they might get hit with major sticker shock.

A day after the initial rollout, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a short statement that read only: “We’re concerned about the impact on employees, their families, and American employers. We’re working with the Administration and our members to understand the full implications and the best path forward.”

Reached for comment by Quartz, a Chamber for Commerce spokesperson pointed back to the original Saturday statement.

The Business Roundtable, a group that lobbies on behalf of leading chief executives for U.S. companies, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It underscores the soft touch of many business leaders in dealing with the Trump administration. They remain wary of publicly pushing the White House in ways that risk inviting retaliation.

Business executives have scrambled to ensure their firms won’t get hit with the steep fee, which experts say risk locking out smaller companies in their efforts to attract top global talent.

The roster of confused executives include JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who said Trump’s directive caught him and many on Wall Street by surprise.

“That caught everyone off guard,” Dimon said in a CNBC-TV18  interview that aired Monday. “And so we had a lot of phone calls over the weekend. What does it mean?”

Dimon emphasized that he endorsed merit-based immigration and believed the turmoil around H-1B visas will settle down. He didn’t express criticism about the visa overhaul. “We’ll hopefully be engaged with the government on this, too,” he said.

Since the rollout, the White House has issued clarifications on the policy. It has since noted the fee will be imposed one time only and doesn’t apply to renewal petitions.

Despite the early turmoil, there is little sign it intends to back off from the H-1B visa changes. The overhaul is likely to generate legal headaches for the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, the Labor Department is signaling a broader crackdown on companies that “abuse” the H-1B program.

“Highly-skilled jobs should go to AMERICANS FIRST!” the Labor Department posted on social media late Monday. “That’s why we launched Project Firewall to end H-1B abuse and ensure employers prioritize American Workers in the hiring process.”