Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno is introducing a new bill aimed at discouraging U.S. companies from sending jobs overseas while supporting programs that create jobs in America.
The legislation, introduced Friday and called the “Halting International Relocation of Employment Act” or “HIRE Act,” would impose a 25% tax on “outsourcing payments.” These payments are defined as money that a U.S. company or taxpayer gives to a foreign worker whose work benefits American consumers.
The bill also has rules to prevent tax avoidance through U.S. territories. It would require companies to fully report all outsourcing payments and contracts, and they would not be allowed to deduct these payments from their taxes.
Money collected from the tax on overseas workers would go toward apprenticeship programs and workforce development initiatives in the United States.
Additionally, if passed by the Republican-controlled Congress and signed by President Trump, the law would stop companies from treating outsourcing payments as base erosion payments when calculating their Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax.
“While college grads in America struggle to find work, globalist politicians and C-Suite executives have spent decades sending good-paying jobs overseas for cheap labor and huge profits—those days are over,” Moreno said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Moreno added, “It’s time to fight for working-class Americans and make sure they can work and retire with dignity. If companies choose foreign workers over Americans, my bill will hit them where it counts—their pocketbooks.”
The HIRE Act comes as the Trump administration highlights efforts to focus on jobs for U.S.-born citizens. According to Fox Business, American-born job growth rose by nearly 2 million over the past 12 months, while jobs held by foreign-born workers decreased.
The number of foreign-born workers aged 16 and over in the U.S. dropped by almost 452,000 between July 2024 and July 2025. In July 2025, there were 32,066,000 foreign-born workers in the U.S., down from 32,518,000 the previous year, a 1.39% decrease.
