Fixing the Broken System: Daniel Costa on H-2B Visas and Worker Exploitation

Bill Bernardoni continues his conversation with Daniel Costa of the Economic Policy Institute, diving into the H-2B visa program and how it impacts America’s low-wage workforce. From landscaping and hospitality to construction and seafood processing, Costa explains how weak oversight and loopholes allow exploitation and wage suppression — and why real reform must include fair wages, labor protections, and pathways to green cards. He also compares how other nations manage migrant labor more responsibly, offering lessons the U.S. could learn.

Should temporary visa workers have a path to citizenship — or would that risk undermining U.S. labor markets even more? Let us know what you think.

Follow Bill on X at @BillBernardoni, explore his work at Bernardoni.media, and read his latest writings at Bernardoni.blog. You can learn more about Daniel and the work of the Economic Policy Institute at epi.org.