Judiciary Committee Bill Would Dramatically Increase Fees for Asylum Seekers and Gut Federal Trade Commission’s Antitrust Powers

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday will consider legislation to create new fees for those seeking asylum in the United States, while also moving all of the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust authority to the Department of Justice. Several other committees are beginning work this week on their respective contributions to President Trump’s “one big beautiful bill.”On Monday, the Judiciary Committee chairman, Jim Jordan, unveiled his committee’s bill, which is more than 100 pages long. If passed by the panel, it will be included in the Republican reconciliation package that is expected to increase funding for immigration enforcement, deportations, and defense, while also extending Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. “President Trump and House Republicans are committed to restoring immigration integrity, enhancing national security, and reining in the out-of-control administrative state. The Judiciary Committee’s reconciliation provisions deliver critical resources to advance both priorities,” the panel said in a statement Monday. Some of the most notable reforms included in the bill deal with asylum seekers, who could soon face steep application fees if they wish to enter the United States and begin the process of becoming citizens. The new application fee proposal makes up more than half of the 116-page bill released on Monday. Under the legislation, any individual seeking asylum in America will be required to pay a $1,000 application fee, with that amount increasing in the following years based on inflation rates. Of the revenue collected from those fees, half will go to the Department of Justice and the other half will go to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If an individual is paroled into the United States by immigration officials or receives temporary protected status and then applies for work authorization, he or she would be required to pay at least $550. Migrants would be required to reapply for work status and pay that same $550 fee — which could increase at the secretary of homeland security’s discretion — every six months. A migrant child who applies for special immigrant juvenile status — a legal protection for children fleeing abuse or neglect by parents or guardians in their home country — will be required to pay $500 to apply for asylum in America. For other migrant children seeking admission to the United States, the fee will be much higher. Any individual who sponsors a juvenile for asylum status will face a non-refundable fee of $3,500. Even those just seeking to visit or do business in the United States temporarily will face higher prices. Under the Judiciary Committee’s proposal, the price of a nonimmigrant visa — which covers things like tourism and work trips for foreigners — will rise to $250 from $185. On top of the new fee system, the budgets for deportation operations and migrant detentions would increase dramatically. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would see its budget expand by more than 350 percent. ICE’s funding over the next four years would balloon to $45 billion between now and the end of fiscal year 2029 when Mr. Trump’s term ends — up from just over $13 billion it is currently set to receive in that same time period. The bill specifically states that the new fees may not be waived or reduced by any executive branch official. On top of the new immigration fees being proposed by Judiciary Committee Republicans, the House could also take up legislation to gut the FTC of its antitrust enforcement powers — a longtime goal of Silicon Valley leaders who have supported the new Trump administration. If the Judiciary Committee’s bill is enacted, all antitrust enforcement authority will be transferred to the Department of Justice. The legislation states that Attorney General Bondi will be empowered to move “all FTC antitrust actions, all FTC antitrust employees, all FTC antitrust assets, and all FTC antitrust funding to the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice.” Ms. Bondi would have one year to move the entirety of the FTC antitrust unit into her department. Mr. Trump’s DOGE chief, Elon Musk, has backed the idea in the past. Senator Lee had posted on X about a piece of legislation he introduced to move antitrust enforcement from the FTC to the DOJ. In response to Mr. Lee’s call on Congress to pass his bill, Mr. Musk responded, “Sounds logical.”

Judiciary Committee Bill Would Dramatically Increase Fees for Asylum Seekers and Gut Federal Trade Commission’s Antitrust Powers

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