Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has ignited a fierce political firestorm by announcing a bold legislative plan to aggressively phase out the H-1B visa programme, a move that has exposed a deep and growing rift within the MAGA movement over immigration and the future of the American workforce.
The "America First" Bill vs. Trump's Defence
In a direct challenge to her own party's leadership, Greene declared her goal is to "END the mass replacement of American workers" by shutting down the popular visa route that allows highly skilled professionals from other countries to work in the United States. She announced her bill on social media platform X, stating it would put "AMERICANS FIRST again in tech, healthcare, engineering, manufacturing, and every industry."
This intervention comes at a critical moment, as former President Donald Trump has recently been defending the very same programme. On Fox News, Trump argued that the United States currently lacks enough domestic talent for crucial roles in sectors like technology and defence. "No, you don't. You don't have certain talents," he stated, adding that "people have to learn!" He emphasised the impracticality of taking people from an unemployment line and placing them in complex manufacturing jobs, such as making missiles.
Details of the Proposed Legislation
Greene's proposed bill aims to dismantle what she calls a "corrupt" system that she alleges is abused by Big Tech, AI giants, hospitals, and other industries to cut labour costs at the expense of American citizens. Her proposal includes a single, temporary exemption: 10,000 visas per year could still be issued to medical professionals like doctors and nurses, but this provision would also be completely phased out over a ten-year period.
The H-1B visa is a cornerstone of the American technology industry, heavily relied upon by giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon to fill specialized roles requiring advanced technical qualifications. The scale of the programme is significant; according to reports, approximately 400,000 H-1B visas were approved in 2024, with the majority being renewals rather than first-time applications.
Deepening MAGA Divisions
This public disagreement marks one of the most visible policy splits within the Trump-aligned faction of the Republican party. Greene's hardline stance is being seen as a direct rebuke of Trump's recent comments, which some MAGA hardliners have labelled a betrayal of the core "America First" agenda.
The conflict highlights a fundamental debate about how to build the future American workforce. On one side, Greene and her supporters advocate for a complete halt to foreign skilled labour, insisting on investing in and training the domestic population. On the other, Trump's position acknowledges an immediate skills gap that he believes necessitates help from abroad to maintain America's competitive edge in critical sectors. This political clash was foreshadowed in September when Trump introduced a $100,000 annual fee for new H-1B applicants and increased oversight of the system, a move that now seems moderate compared to Greene's call for total elimination.
