If it is a master's degree, the United States is relatively poor now, and the master's degree is basically at his own expense, that is, the school manages your money. So it is not very important to publish a paper. If you have a paper published in an authoritative journal, it is definitely a plus item. But no, it won't hinder your master's application. Because the American master's program is not academic-oriented, but industry-oriented, that is, after two years of master's graduation, students will go out to find a job, so the requirements for students' academic performance are not high. If you apply for a master's degree, you need your undergraduate GPA, standardized test scores, paperwork (very important) and so on. These are of high quality.
If you apply for a doctorate in the United States, the requirements for your thesis are very high. Because the doctoral program in the United States is to train academic talents, you will be trained as a teacher and do research in the future. You need to make personal achievements in your professional field. For example, I have published articles in professional journals and done academic topics or projects with domestic tutors. Because most students who apply for Ph.D. have such "academic achievements", if you don't, it's easy to be screened out.