JD Vance described the H-1B programme as “completely broken” and said he would be “very supportive of just eliminating it”.
US Vice President JD Vance said he would support eliminating the H-1B visa programme altogether, arguing that the system has been misused by American companies to replace domestic workers with cheaper foreign labour.
JD Vance described the H-1B programme as “completely broken” and said he would be “very supportive of just eliminating it”.
“But while we have it, what we have to do is protect American workers,” JD Vance said.
JD Vance gave the example of an American accountant earning $60,000 being replaced by a foreign worker earning $45,000, arguing that such a case would not represent the programme’s intended use of bringing highly skilled talent into the United States.
“If you’re going to bring in an accountant making $45,000 a year to replace an accountant who is an American making $60,000 a year, that’s not you using the programme to bring in a genius. That’s you destroying American jobs and defrauding the American people,” JD Vance said.
The H-1B programme allows US employers to hire foreign workers for specialised occupations, including jobs in technology, engineering and healthcare. New H-1B visas are generally subject to an annual cap of 85,000, although some employers and categories are exempt.
JD Vance’s remarks come as the Trump administration continues to pursue tighter restrictions on the programme. The White House has argued that H-1B visas should be used for highly skilled workers rather than as a source of lower-cost labour.
The administration’s efforts have included a $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B petitions. However, the fee has faced legal challenges as this week a second federal judge blocked the government from enforcing the charge, following an earlier ruling against it.