Fox News host Laura Ingraham and Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube renewed calls to end the H-1B visa program, arguing that American workers are being displaced even as the Trump administration moves to make the program more expensive.
Appearing on “The Ingraham Angle,” Steube said the H-1B program should be eliminated and pointed to layoffs at major U.S. companies as evidence that employers can find skilled workers domestically.
“Yeah, it should be ended and my bill would actually absolutely do that,” Steube said.
Steube cited Microsoft, saying the company had fired 16,000 Americans and subsequently hired 9,000 workers under H-1B visas. He also pointed to Disney, which he said laid off 250 employees and required some American workers to train their H-1B replacements.
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Steube introduced the Ending Exploitative Imported Labor Exemptions Act, or EXILE Act, in February. The legislation seeks to amend federal immigration law to end the H-1B program. His office has previously cited the Microsoft and Disney cases in arguing that the program disadvantages American workers.
Ingraham said President Donald Trump had also questioned the program before taking office, recalling a 2016 speech in which Trump argued that H-1B visas should not be available and that the program should be ended.
The debate comes as the Department of Homeland Security proposes a separate major increase in H-1B costs.
HS has proposed a $103,265 fee for every cap-subject H-1B petition, including petitions eligible for the U.S. advanced-degree exemption. The fee would be in addition to other applicable charges.
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DHS estimates the proposal could generate about $8.8 billion annually based on 85,000 cap-subject petitions. Public comments are due by September 4.
The proposal has intensified an already divisive debate over whether the H-1B system addresses genuine shortages of specialized talent or allows companies to replace American workers.
Supporters say the program helps U.S. employers recruit specialized workers, while critics argue companies have used it to reduce labor costs and displace domestic employees. The administration’s proposed fee and congressional efforts to eliminate the program represent competing approaches to reshaping the system.