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PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP joined billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk in supporting the H-1B visa program despite opposition from some of Trump's base. Meanwhile, hotel associations, including AAHOA and the American Hotel & Lodging Association are pushing to replace the 66,000 annual cap on H-2B visas with a needs-based system. Trump, who restricted H-1B visas during his first term, told The New York Post that he now supports the program. "I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I've been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It's a great program," he said. Despite his statement, Trump has rarely utilized the H-1B program, which allows skilled workers, such as engineers, to work in the U.S. for up to six years. Instead, his companies have frequently relied on the H-2B visa program for unskilled workers, such as gardeners and housekeepers, and the H-2A program for agricultural workers. These visas allow stays of up to 10 months.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT of Homeland Security will make available more than 64,000 additional H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for fiscal year 2023. The extra visas will help the hotel and travel industries meet continuing labor shortages, according to the U.S. Travel Association. DHS also will issue its normal allotment of 66,000 H-2B visas as well as the 64,716 extra visas. The visas, which permit employers to temporarily hire noncitizens to perform certain labor in the U.S., became available at the beginning of October. Also, the agency created the new Worker Protection Taskforce to make sure the H-2B visa workers are not exploited. "The Department of Homeland Security is moving with unprecedented speed to meet the needs of American businesses," said Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of Homeland Security. "At a time of record job growth, this full year allocation at the very outset of the fiscal year will ensure that businesses can plan for their peak season labor needs. We also will bolster worker protections to safeguard the integrity of the program from unscrupulous employers who would seek to exploit the workers by paying substandard wages and maintaining unsafe work conditions."

THE DEPARTMENT OF Homeland Security will issue more than 64,000 additional H-2B visas for fiscal year 2024, surpassing a congressionally authorized discretionary cap for the second consecutive year. The American Hotel & Lodging Association, AAHOA and others have been lobbying for the increase as a step to relieving the labor shortage challenge in the hotel industry. A forthcoming interim final rule, which was announced on Friday, will additionally approve temporary work visas, bringing the total to over 130,000 including those issued under the regular annual cap of 66,000. Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO, commended the federal government's action. "The H-2B Workforce Coalition, which AHLA co-chairs, worked hard to convince the Biden administration to offer this considerable expansion, which nearly doubles the yearly allocation of H-2B visas," said Rogers. "These extra visas will be crucial to helping hotels and resorts in remote vacation destinations fill seasonal roles, and we thank Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas for making them available. But we still need help from Congress to get hoteliers across the country all the employees they need. That includes establishing an H-2B returning worker exemption, passing the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act, and passing the H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers (HIRE) Act."

U.S. HOTELS ADDED 700 jobs to their payrolls in June, according to the latest government data, but the nationwide workforce shortage continues to make it difficult for hotels to fill open positions, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Total hotel employment stands at about 1.92 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is more than 196,000 fewer workers than in February 2020, reflecting a scarcity of available employees. Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised down the total number of hotel jobs in the country, which eliminated job gains for the industry that were reported in prior months, AHLA said in a statement. "Halfway through 2024, the hotel industry is behind where it needs to be when it comes to hiring staff, despite near-record high wages and expanding workplace benefits and flexibility," said Kevin Carey, AHLA's interim president and CEO. "The reason is the nationwide workforce shortage, which is preventing hoteliers from meeting their full potential as demand for travel remains strong. Both Congress and the administration can provide relief to our members, many of whom are small business owners, and AHLA will continue to call for action to expand the pool of available workers."

DONALD TRUMP WILL return to the U.S. presidency for a second, non-consecutive term in January, making him the first to do so since Grover Cleveland. Hotel associations such as AAHOA and the American Hotel & Lodging Association were quick to offer congratulations. In September, both groups were in Washington, D.C., to advocate for legislation important to the industry. Some of the proposed legislation that AHLA is supporting include: The Closing the Workforce Gap Act would replace the arbitrary annual cap of 66,000 available H-2B temporary visas with a new, needs-based system. Extending a pass-through tax deduction, 199A, which is set to expire in 2025 and provides tax relief to franchisees and other hotel small businesses. Maintaining the like-kind exchange, section 1031, which allows hoteliers to defer capital gains taxes when they sell one property if they roll the proceeds into the purchase of a larger one. According to AHLA, the exchange helps create new jobs and contributes to economic growth. The Hotel Fees Transparency Act and the No Hidden FEES Act would establish a single and transparent standard for mandatory lodging fee display and an even competitive playing field for hotels, short term rentals, online travel agencies, and metasearch sites.

The Restoring Brand USA Act took another step toward passage, clearing the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill would renew the program aimed at promoting international travel to the U.S. Brand USA has generated $56 billion to the U.S. economy since 2013 and supported more than 45,000 jobs each year, according to Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, a sponsor of the bill. The program is funded by international visitors and private contributions, and the decline in international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a loss of that funding, Bilirakis said. The bill would direct the Treasury Department to allow this program to access critical resources, funded by foreign traveler visa fees, for the next few years. "The travel and tourism industry was one of the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic. As we seek to restore our way of life and fully recover, we cannot overlook the work that must be done to renew this powerful engine of economic growth for communities across the nation," Bilirakis said. "Brand USA has proven itself as a successful catalyst for spurring tourism to the U.S. We need that catalyst now more than ever to help rebuild the industry and spur job growth. Common sense solutions like this will help boost the economy and help get us moving in the right direction."