JD Vance Calls for Total Abolition of H-1B Program

Vice President JD Vance called for the total abolition of the H-1B visa program, describing the system as "completely broken." In a video posted to X and interviews with Real America's Voice, Vance argued that technology and accounting firms exploit the program to replace American workers with lower-paid international staff rather than recruiting elite talent. He cited a scenario where a foreign accountant earning $45,000 replaces an American earning $60,000 as a way of "defrauding the American people."

Vance's comments follow a series of administration efforts to restrict the program. A September 18 executive directive ordered the Departments of State, Labour, and Homeland Security to scrutinize sponsoring firms for domestic layoffs. The administration also introduced a tiered selection mechanism prioritizing higher salaries and a $100,000 levy on specific overseas petitions, a measure developed by President Donald Trump and adviser Stephen Miller.

However, U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. blocked the enforcement of the $100,000 fee on October 1, ruling that the government failed to follow mandatory administrative rulemaking protocols. Vance attributed the lack of legislative reform to the influence of a "cheap labor lobby" and urged citizens to pressure Congress to fix the program.