In a Thursday essay, Rampell argued that Trump's policies during the first year of his second term have been "both disruptive and deeply damaging." She observed that the United States' previous dominance in the areas of research and development, medical research and other fields has since been decimated largely due to the Trump administration's impact on higher education. This includes Trump imposing a $100,000 fee on employers who bring in H-1B visa workers from overseas. "All of this amounts to almost masochistic levels of economic self-sabotage," Rampell wrote. Turns out the sectors driven by brains and brawn are both struggling in the Trump economy."