Category: ESTA News

With the federal government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal employees and contractors are facing unpaid leave or delayed pay, putting Maryland at a significant disadvantage. State and local governments are rolling out emergency assistance programs to residents facing layoffs.

According to the state government, Maryland is home to more than 60 federal facilities and over 260,000 federal employees and 200,000 federal contractors. The State Comptroller’s Office of Revenue and Budget reports that the shutdown has resulted in the furlough of most non-essential federal employees, with over 15,000 already laid off and an estimated 10,000 more expected to be laid off.

Essential workers, such as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, military personnel, and federal law enforcement officers, are working but facing delayed pay, while non-essential workers are facing unpaid leave until the shutdown ends. As part of its emergency relief measures, the state government will provide interest-free loans of $700 to federal employees whose paychecks have been delayed, starting on the 6th. Laid-off employees can apply for emergency loan programs. Furloughed federal employees can also apply for unemployment benefits through the Federal Employees Unemployment Compensation Program, and federal contract workers can apply for state unemployment benefits.

The state has also sent letters to state legislators and utility companies requesting deferrals on utility bills, including gas, electricity, and mortgage payments. The state also operates public assistance benefit programs such as Medicaid and the SNAP Food Assistance Program.

Governor Wes Moore stated, “If the federal government shutdown is prolonged, we will announce additional support measures in a phased manner,” including expanded job search programs, legal counseling, special enrollment in health insurance, and food assistance.

For more information on shutdown-related support, please visit the state government (response.maryland.gov) and the state Department of Labor (labor.maryland.gov) websites.

Meanwhile, Howard County operates a variety of support programs, including job search assistance services at the Workforce Development Center, expanded childcare, food assistance, a foreclosure prevention program, mental health counseling, and employment assistance for people with disabilities.

The bipartisan Senate Judiciary Committee has jointly reintroduced a bill that would strengthen regulations related to H-1B and L-1 work visas for professional workers.

According to Reuters, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican, introduced the bill on the 29th with Senator Dick Durbin, the committee’s ranking Democrat. The bill includes provisions to strengthen wage regulations and employment requirements for those eligible for the visas, and to require the disclosure of job openings for those eligible. It also includes provisions to raise the threshold for issuing visas.

Reuters reported that the two senators had previously introduced a bill with similar intent in 2007.Both H-1B and L-1 visas are used to allow foreign professionals to work in the United States. The H-1B visa, which has recently garnered attention due to President Donald Trump’s surge in issuance fees, is for specialized occupations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).Major US IT companies have primarily used it to hire professionals from India and China.L-1 visas are also known as “traveler visas” because they allow multinational corporations operating in multiple countries to bring employees they have hired overseas back to the US.

Some in the US have criticized these visas for stealing high-paying jobs from Americans.

Senator Grassley, who introduced the bill, stated, “Congress created the H-1B and L-1 visas as a limited means for companies to secure top talent when they couldn’t find them in the US. However, for years, many companies have used these visas to exclude American workers and bring in cheap foreign workers.”

Senators Grassley and Durbin recently requested the submission of data from 10 major companies, including Amazon, Google, and Meta, saying they are closely monitoring the companies’ H-1B usage.

New York State has issued a scam alert regarding “inflation refund” checks. According to New York State, scammers are requesting personal information via phone calls, text messages, emails, and postal mail in connection with the recently mailed inflation refund checks.

Some scammers are impersonating IRS agents and demanding accurate personal and financial information to receive their state inflation refund checks.

Governor Kathy Hokul stated, “As long as you meet the eligibility requirements, you will receive your check without any further action. The IRS is not involved in these checks issued by the New York State government. The IRS has no reason to contact you. If you receive such a call, please report it immediately.”

New York State has been issuing “Inflation Rebate Checks” via mail since last weekend to provide refunds to low- and middle-income taxpayers who have significantly increased their sales tax due to inflation. For married couples filing jointly, households with an annual gross income (AGI) of $300 to $150,000 will receive a $300 check, while those with an AGI of $150,000 or less will receive a $400 check.

Individuals filing individually will receive a $150 check for those with an AGI of $150 to $75,000, and $200 checks for those with an AGI of $75,000 or less. Rebate checks will be mailed sequentially through November.

Tips on avoiding refund scams can be found on the website (dos.ny.gov/taxpayer-scam-0).

Fears of a federal government shutdown are rapidly rising. This is because Congress failed to pass a stopgap spending bill on the 19th to prevent a government shutdown. The House of Representatives passed a short-term spending bill that would maintain federal spending at current levels for seven weeks, through November 21st, by a vote of 217 to 212. The bill was created to avoid a shutdown amid significant disagreement between Republicans and Democrats over the federal government budget for fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 to September 2026). However, the bill, which passed the Republican-led House, was defeated in the Senate by a vote of 44 to 48.

Republicans opposed the bill, including fiscal hawks like Rand Paul, who argued that it simply extended spending from the previous Biden administration, and Lisa Murkowski, who has expressed serious concerns about the Medicaid cuts signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year. A Democratic alternative that included extending Obamacare subsidies while setting the shutdown deadline to October 31st was also voted on in the Senate, but it also failed.

With the failure to pass a stopgap budget, the possibility of a federal government shutdown has grown even more likely. Congress entered a week-long recess that afternoon, and if the recess continues, there will be little time left to prevent a shutdown upon its return. Democrats

are pressuring Republicans to include a provision in the CR that extends Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire this year. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) countered that Republicans are refusing to negotiate despite needing Democratic votes to pass the CRC, and that any shutdown would be their responsibility.

Meanwhile, House Republican leaders have canceled votes scheduled for September 29th and 30th, ordering them not to return to Washington, D.C., until the budget deadline (September 30th).

ABC’s parent company, Disney, announced that the ABC talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to the air after it was suspended for comments about assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, but local broadcast network owners have declared an ongoing boycott.

Nexstar and Sinclair, the largest local network owners in the U.S., announced on the 23rd that they will maintain the suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

In a statement, Nexstar said, “Following ABC’s call last week of Jimmy Kimmel’s comments as ‘untimely and insensitive,’ we have decided to replace the program at this important time in the national conversation.” They said, “We will maintain this decision until we are confident that all parties are committed to fostering a respectful and constructive dialogue.”

Nexstar added that the program will be available nationwide on Disney-owned streaming platforms, adding, “Our stations will focus on producing local news and other programming appropriate for each local market.

“Disney had previously announced, “We have had in-depth conversations with Jimmy Kimmel in recent days,” and that “following those conversations, we have reached the decision to resume the program on the 23rd.” However, Nexstar and Sinclair, which own about 30 and 40 ABC affiliates, respectively, have decided to continue boycotting the broadcast, meaning the program will remain unavailable in many areas.

Local stations produce and broadcast their own content, such as local news, while also receiving and broadcasting content from national networks like ABC, Fox, NBC, and CBS, with which they have partnerships. The companies that own these stations and networks are subject to various regulations, including federal spectrum licensing reviews.

Previously, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr, the U.S. broadcast regulator, warned that broadcasters could face license revocation if they made inappropriate comments on their programs, citing their statutory duty to “operate in the public interest.”

Notably, Nexstar is currently pursuing the acquisition of Tegna, another broadcaster, which requires FCC approval. On the 15th, Kimmel, the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, said on air, “The MAGA faction is desperately trying to frame this guy who killed Charlie Kirk as someone other than one of their own, and they’re doing everything they can to gain political advantage from it.”

Following this, FCC Chairman Carr took issue with Kimmel’s remarks and demanded that local broadcasters suspend the program. ABC announced an “indefinite suspension,” igniting a debate over the constitutional value of “free speech.”

President Donald Trump arrived in London, England, on the 16th (local time), beginning a three-day, two-night state visit. This is Trump’s second state visit to the UK, following his first in 2019 during his first term.

Since the UK traditionally does not invite US presidents to visit the UK during their second terms, President Trump will become the first US president to make two state visits to the UK. President Trump arrived at Winfield House, the U.S. ambassador’s residence in London, late that afternoon, and said, “Tomorrow will be a very important day,” according to the White House press corps.

Commenting on his return to the U.K., President Trump said, “I love England. I love Turnberry, I love Aberdeen. There are so many things here that warm my heart. It’s a truly special place.”

Regarding King Charles III, he said, “We’ll meet tomorrow,” adding, “He’s been my friend for a long time. Everyone respects and loves him.”

President Trump is scheduled to travel to Windsor Castle on the 17th to meet with King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and Prince William and Kate. That evening, President Trump and Charles III are scheduled to deliver speeches at a state banquet. On the final day of his visit, the 18th, President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer are scheduled to meet at Chequers, the prime minister’s country home.

Prime Minister Starmer visited the White House in February and presented President Trump with a state invitation from Charles III. Prime Minister Starmer is expected to use Trump’s state visit as an opportunity to finalize ongoing negotiations between the two countries on tariffs, nuclear power, and other issues.

Prosecutors formally indicted Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the assassination of right-wing youth activist Charlie Kirk, on charges including aggravated murder on the 16th. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for Robinson. Utah County District Attorney Jeff Gray charged Robinson with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice, according to the Associated Press and the New York Times (NYT).

Prosecutor Gray said, “Charlie Kirk’s murder is an American tragedy,” adding that the suspect’s DNA was found on the trigger of the gun used to kill Kirk. According to court records released that day, the suspect stated in a series of messages exchanged with his lover immediately after the crime that he killed Kirk because he was “sick of his (Charlie Kirk’s) hatred,” the New York Times reported. Kirk, who was pro-Trump and represented the hard-right in the left-right “culture war” in the United States, had expressed strong stances on guns and abortion during his lifetime. It seems possible that the suspect’s animosity towards this led him to commit the crime.

FBI Director Cathy Patel appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on that day and said that they are investigating everyone who was in the group chat on the online gaming messenger Discord that Robinson participated in, and that the number is far more than 20. Earlier, the Washington Post (WP) and other American media outlets reported that suspect Robinson left a message in a Discord group chat that seemed to confess to the crime, saying, “It was me (what happened) at Utah Valley University yesterday. I’m sorry, everyone.”

Meanwhile, at a Senate hearing, Democratic lawmakers heavily criticized Director Patel’s initial response to the Charlie Kirk assassination. Director Patel announced on social media on the 10th that a “suspect” was in custody a few hours after Kirk was assassinated during a lecture in Utah, but the person he identified as the suspect was released, and the actual suspect was arrested later.

US immigration consulting Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) criticized the decision, saying, “In their eagerness to take credit for catching Kirk’s assassin, they violated one of the fundamental principles of law enforcement at the most crucial stage of the investigation,” and that it “endangers national security and public safety.” Director Patel countered, “I don’t view that as a mistake,” adding, “We cooperated with the public to ensure that a suspect was in custody.” Some have criticized the successive firings of high-ranking FBI agents since Director Patel took office in February as “political retaliation.”

The fired FBI agents were reportedly fired without a clear reason, and U.S. media outlets have reported that they had one thing in common: having led investigations into President Trump. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) questioned whether Director Patel’s statement during her Senate confirmation hearing in January that FBI agents would not face political retaliation was a lie.

Director Patel emphasized that the firing of FBI agents was a decision based on evidence made by him as FBI Director, not the White House.

President Donald Trump hinted at the need to address visa issues following the large-scale immigration raid that occurred at the Hyundai Motor Company-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Georgia on the 4th. Consequently, the E-4 work visa, a special visa for Koreans that has been stalled for over a decade, is gaining attention as a realistic alternative. On the 7th, President Trump urged foreign companies investing in the United States to comply with U.S. immigration laws, while also promising to address the difficulties these companies face in sending their own employees to the United States.

In a post on his social media platform, TruthSocial, President Trump stated, “Following the immigration raid on the Georgia battery plant, I urge all foreign companies investing in the United States to respect our country’s immigration laws. We will make it possible for you to do so quickly and legally.”

President Trump also told reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C., “If this country doesn’t have people who know about batteries, we should help them (South Korea) bring some people here and train them to learn complex tasks like battery manufacturing, computer manufacturing, and shipbuilding.”

This raises expectations that President Trump is hinting at expanding the issuance of H-1B visas for skilled workers. In this regard, calls are growing louder for passage of the E-4 visa bill, a dedicated Korean-born worker visa that has been stalled in Congress for over a decade.

Since 2013, the “Korea Partnership Act,” which would provide an annual quota of up to 15,000 Korean-born workers for Korean nationals with specialized education and skills, has been consistently introduced in Congress. However, the bill has made no progress due to the indifference of US politicians and the passive attitude of the Korean government and businesses.

Congressman Young Kim (R-Korea) reintroduced the “Korea Partnership Act” in July. However, with only two co-sponsors besides Rep. Kim—Sidney Kamrager-Dove (Democrat) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Republican), support within the federal Congress is weak. However, some analysts believe that if President Trump actively addresses the visa issue, the legislation could gain greater momentum than ever before.

Some in Washington, D.C., political circles point out, “Until now, the Republican Party has been reluctant to support the Korean-only work visa bill, viewing it as an immigration issue. Therefore, we must focus our efforts on shifting the perception of federal lawmakers from immigration to economic issues.”

They emphasize, “If President Trump can influence the leadership of the Republican Party in Congress, the chances of success will be higher than ever. The Korean government should actively engage in persuading President Trump.”

It has been revealed that the number of civil servants laid off from three departments in the massive federal downsizing that began immediately after the Trump administration took office has exceeded 65% of all laid offs.

According to the Federal News Network, which reports federal government news, 161,519 federal employees left their jobs through voluntary retirement or forced layoffs between January and August 27th. More than half of them, 106,000, were concentrated in three departments: the Department of Defense, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Agriculture.

By department, 55,478 people were laid off from the Department of Defense, 28,958 from the Department of the Treasury, and 21,564 from the Department of Agriculture. In the Department of the Treasury, approximately 21,000 of the laid-off employees were from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Beyond these three ministries, the departments with particularly severe personnel cuts were the Department of Health and Human Services (13,448), the Department of Veterans Affairs (12,702), and the Department of the Interior (9,700).

Monthly federal layoffs, which began at 1,229 in January, increased to 22,507 in February, 14,309 in March, 18,925 in April, 3,672 in May, 4,600 in June, 41,153 in July, and 55,114 in August, are projected to reach approximately 300,000 civil servants by the end of the year, indicating a further reduction of over 100,000 in the remaining three months.

President Donald Trump has announced that he will pursue an executive order requiring all voters to present identification when voting.

While Trump claims that this executive order is intended to ensure “election integrity,” it is already sparking legal controversy as an attempt to exceed his constitutional authority. On the 31st, President Trump announced on his social media account, TruthSocial, that “Voter ID will be required for all voting. No exceptions.” He added, “I will issue an executive order to this end.” He also reaffirmed that mail-in voting will be restricted except for those critically ill or deployed overseas and announced plans to restrict the use of electronic voting machines and mandate paper ballots across the country.

Since losing the 2020 presidential election, President Trump has consistently pushed for the elimination of ID requirements and mail-in voting, claiming that mail-in voting has contributed to election fraud. On the 18th, President Trump declared that he would lead a campaign to eliminate mail-in voting, stating, “States, as agents of the federal government and the President, must follow the guidance. This action will restore the integrity of the 2026 election.” Republicans have also been strengthening ID requirements in recent years, citing widespread illegal voting by non-citizens.

Currently, 36 of the 50 states require voters to present ID, with 10 of them requiring photo ID. However, since the federal constitutional authority to administer elections lies with the states and Congress, the executive order is likely to face legal challenges. In fact, President Trump signed an executive order in March requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register as a voter, but the order was suspended in June by a federal court on the grounds that “the Constitution does not grant the President specific powers over elections.” Some also point out that the lack of a national ID card in the United States, like that in Korea, is a significant problem.

While driver’s licenses and passports are generally the most used forms of identification, those living in rural areas or low-income earners often do not have these forms of identification and thus often lack them. For this reason, mandating identification during voting is known to effectively disenfranchise low-income and vulnerable groups.