U.S. President Donald Trump has once again voiced strong support for the H-1B visa programme, even as prominent Republican lawmakers call for its elimination. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the U.S. needs highly skilled foreign workers to help train Americans, citing the semiconductor industry as a key example. He argued that the country must rebuild its chip-manufacturing capabilities after “foolishly” losing much of the business to Taiwan, and that domestic workers need specialized training foreign workers can help provide.
Trump made similar comments last week in an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, directly rejecting the idea that the U.S. has enough homegrown talent to meet demand. When Ingraham claimed America has “plenty of talent,” Trump responded, “No, you don’t,” insisting that specialized roles — from chip manufacturing to missile production — require skills that cannot be filled by simply pulling workers off unemployment lines.
His defence of the visa programme sparked immediate backlash from conservative leaders, many of whom have renewed calls to ban H-1B visas entirely. Despite the pushback, the White House doubled down on its stance, saying the administration has taken historic steps to crack down on abuse within the system, including a new $100,000 application fee intended to discourage misuse. A spokesperson highlighted Trump’s record of tightening immigration rules while prioritizing American workers.
The administration also emphasized “Project Firewall,” a new Department of Labor initiative investigating companies suspected of violating H-1B rules. Officials say the goal is to ensure the visas go only to top-tier foreign talent in specialized fields, not to lower-wage workers who could displace Americans.
Still, Republican figures such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andy Ogles are urging an outright ban on H-1B visas, arguing that eliminating the programme would free up jobs and ease housing pressures for U.S. citizens. Greene has said she plans to introduce legislation restricting H-1Bs to the medical sector alone.
The debate comes amid legal challenges to Trump’s broader visa policies, including two major lawsuits from business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A group of lawmakers also recently pressed Trump to reconsider his September proclamation tightening H-1B rules, warning that it could harm U.S.–India relations. India-born professionals accounted for more than 70 percent of H-1B approvals in 2024, due to both high demand and longstanding green-card backlogs.
