In response to the findings, Lauren Bis, a White House spokesperson, told Newsweek that the new fee was about "putting the American worker first" by protecting them from being replaced by foreign labor.
“The $103,000 fee discourages companies from spamming the system and focuses the program on its purpose of providing truly highly specialized temporary labor," Bis said. "There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force, and President Trump’s agenda to create jobs for American workers represents this Administration’s commitment to capitalizing on that untapped potential.”