Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced that she is introducing legislation to abolish the H-1B visa programme, arguing that US companies have been exploiting it to replace American workers. Her proposal would dismantle the system in phases and temporarily allow a limited exemption of 10,000 visas per year for medical professionals, which would also be eliminated over the next decade.
Greene said that industries such as Big Tech, AI firms, hospitals, and manufacturing companies have distorted the purpose of the programme by using foreign workers instead of investing in American talent. She claimed that ending the H-1B system is essential to restoring job opportunities for US citizens across technical and high-skill sectors.
The bill would also remove the pathway to citizenship for H-1B holders and require all visa beneficiaries to return to their home countries upon expiry of their visas. Greene stressed that the 10,000-visa medical exemption would gradually wind down as the country builds a domestic workforce of doctors and nurses.
The move comes shortly after former President Donald Trump offered a rare defence of the H-1B programme, saying during a Fox News interview that the United States lacks sufficiently skilled workers in fields such as technology and defence. Trump argued that foreign experts are necessary in the short term while Americans learn specialised skills.
Greene’s proposal is expected to intensify the ongoing political debate over high-skilled immigration, particularly because more than 70% of H-1B visas are granted to Indian professionals, making them the most directly affected group if the programme is dismantled.
