EXCLUSIVE: ‘Phantom employees' scandal spurs GOP crackdown on $36B incentive for companies to bypass Americans

Republicans have introduced the 'OPT Fair Tax Act' to close a federal loophole that exempts foreign workers from payroll taxes, creating financial incentives for companies to hire them over Americans. The bill was spurred by discovery of over 10,000 'phantom employees' exploiting the Optional Practical Training program, which has grown into an uncontrolled guest worker pipeline costing hundreds of thousands of American jobs annually.