The backlash against the H-1B visa program continues to intensify, particularly among Republican lawmakers.
As the American Bazaar reported on Thursday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, introduced a bill to end the H-1B program. Explaining her proposal, she wrote on social media: “I am introducing a bill to end the mass replacement of American workers by aggressively phasing out the H-1B program. Big Tech, AI giants, hospitals, and industries across the board have abused the H-1B system to cut out our own people.”
She added, “My bill eliminates the corrupt H-1B program and puts Americans First again in tech, healthcare, engineering, manufacturing, and every industry that keeps this country running!! If we want the next generation to have the American Dream, we must stop replacing them and start investing in them.”
The latest criticism comes from Dusty Deevers, an Oklahoma state senator since 2023. Taking to X, Deevers posted a video attacking the H-1B program and wrote: “Oklahomans, it’s time to end the H-1B visa scam. Companies exploit it to skip American workers for cheap, captive foreign labor. Congress must abolish it, but Oklahoma can lead like Florida: Ban H-1B for state jobs.”
The post quickly drew a wide range of reactions online.
Many supporters of H-1B acknowledged that while the visa program may need reform, abolishing it outright could have serious negative consequences for the U.S. economy. One user on X, replying to Deevers’ video, wrote: “H-1B visas need reforms — that’s 100% true. But if you abolish them, most companies will offshore tech jobs overseas. America will lose by abolishing H-1B visas, not because it lacks an understanding of what needs to be reformed to address some core issues.”
On the same day, Rep. Andy Ogles, who represents Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, also voiced his opposition to the program. He wrote, “No more H-1Bs is a no-brainer. Let’s get it done.”
READ: Indian Americans, Indians on H-1B visas confront shifting public perceptions in Trump’s America (November 15, 2025)
Amid the political rhetoric that is rapidly reshaping public perception of H-1B visa holders, new policies and agency actions are also tightening the noose around the program in unprecedented ways.
Immigration attorney Poonam Gupta of Summit Legal PLLC says, “The H-1B crackdown is quietly shifting the U.S. job market. A new policy push by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), dubbed Project Firewall, is marking a turning point in how high-skill employment visa programs are enforced. For employers and visa candidates alike, the ripple effects are already showing.”
Project Firewall, she explains, gives the DOL the power to initiate investigations into the H‑1B visa program without a worker complaint. “Penalty for violations can include up to $51,500 per violation, multi-year bans on sponsoring H-1Bs and recovery of back wages. And firms that rely heavily on foreign-skill hiring, especially IT-outsourcing/staffing models, are under the most scrutiny,” she said.
Last week, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said on a podcast that he plans to introduce legislation called the Pause Act, which would freeze all immigration — including ending the H-1B program. “I’ve got a bill that I’m going to be introducing that is a freeze on all immigration,” he said. “Freeze it until we achieve certain objectives — reforming chain migration, ending H-1B visas, getting birthright citizenship dealt with, and vetting people for their adherence to Sharia law.”
Some time back, the Young Republicans of Texas — an official youth auxiliary of the Texas GOP — released a statement declaring that they would not endorse any candidate seeking national office unless the candidate supported ending the H-1B visa program.
While the rhetoric against the H-1B program continues to intensify, President Trump’s recent remarks struck some far-right supporters as contradictory. Speaking to Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham, Trump suggested that the United States does not have enough domestic talent to fill certain specialized jobs — a position that runs counter to the calls from some in his base to abolish the visa altogether.