WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Republican member of Congress has introduced legislation that would eliminate the H-1B visa program, arguing that it harms American workers by favoring foreign labor over U.S. citizens.
Rep. Greg Steube announced the proposal, titled the Ending Exploitative Imported Labor Exemptions Act, or EXILE Act, which seeks to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act by discontinuing the H-1B visa program entirely. The program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for specialty occupations in fields such as technology, engineering, medicine, and finance.
“Prioritizing foreign labor over the well-being and prosperity of American citizens undermines our values and national interests,” Steube said in a statement announcing the bill. He argued that the program displaces American workers and disadvantages young people entering the workforce.
“Our workers and young people continue to be displaced and disenfranchised by the H-1B visa program that awards corporations and foreign competitors at the expense of our workforce,” he said. “We cannot preserve the American dream for our children while forfeiting their share to non-citizens.”
According to materials released by Steube’s office, the EXILE Act would amend Section 214(g)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to end the H-1B program outright. The proposal would set the number of H-1B visas at zero beginning in fiscal year 2027 and in each fiscal year thereafter.
The release said more than 80 percent of H-1B visa recipients are Indian or Chinese nationals and claimed that employers often prioritize younger foreign workers over American employees. It cited several examples intended to illustrate what it described as the program’s negative impact on U.S. workers.
Among them, the release said the H-1B program has limited access to residency programs for more than 10,000 U.S. physicians while facilitating the entry of more than 5,000 foreign-born doctors. It also claimed that more than 16,000 Microsoft employees were displaced after the company was approved for more than 9,000 H-1B visas in 2025.
Additional examples cited included FedEx, where the release alleged that use of the H-1B program contributed to the closure of more than 100 facilities nationwide, and Disney, which reportedly laid off 250 employees in 2015 and replaced them with foreign workers hired under the program. The release also referenced a 2014 case in which Southern California Edison fired 540 workers, whose replacements were brought in through Indian outsourcing firms using H-1B visas.
The H-1B visa program has long been a central pathway for skilled foreign professionals to work in the United States and has played a significant role in industries reliant on highly specialized labor. At the same time, it has been the subject of repeated political debate over its impact on jobs, wages, and broader immigration policy. (Source: IANS)
