Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has proposed a bill aimed at overhauling the H-1B visa program, citing decades of “fraud,” “abuse” and the displacement of American workers.
The legislation, which was introduced on Thursday, would sharply limit visas for foreign medical professionals while prioritizing American doctors and nurses, an issue that has long been a hot-button topic among Trump supporters.
“It has been riddled with fraud and abuse and has been displacing American workers for decades,” Greene said in a video message posted on X. “There will only be one exemption in my bill and it will allow for a 10,000 per year cap on visas issued to medical professionals like doctors and nurses who provide life-saving care to Americans.”
“However, even this 10,000 per year cap will be phased out over 10 years to allow us time to build our own pipeline of American doctors and physicians,” she added.
The legislation also seeks to restore the temporary nature of these visas.
“These visas were intended to fulfill a specialty occupational need at a given time. People should not be allowed to come and live here forever,” said Greene. “We thank them for their expertise, but we also wish them well so they may return to their home country.”
“My bill will take away the pathway for citizenship, forcing visa holders to return home when their visa expires in order for our pipeline of American doctors and medical professionals.”
Another provision would prohibit Medicare-funded residency programs from accepting non-citizen students.
“Just last year alone, there were over 9,000 doctors in the U.S. who graduated from medical school but were left without a residency placement. Meanwhile, in 2023 alone there were over 5,000 foreign-born doctors who received residency spots,” she said.
Calling it “entirely unfair” and “America last,” she stated that the “bill will help mitigate the shortage of doctors and nurses in our country.”
“The shortage that we face, while at the same time, serves as an off-ramp from our reliance on foreign workers by allowing us time to fill our residency programs with American doctors,” Greene continued.
The bill would also end the H-1B visa program across all other sectors, with Greene emphasizing a strong “America First” approach.
“Now, this will completely end the H-1B visa program in all other sectors in the job force and in the workforce,” she said, adding, “This is America first. It’s time to put our American citizens first instead of foreigners first. And this has gone on and this has been an abuse for far too long.”
“Americans deserve a future, they deserve a chance, and I believe Americans are the most talented people in the world, the most creative and I want them to have their American dream.”
The proposal comes after President Donald Trump appeared on Fox News Tuesday to discuss H-1B visas.
In response to host Laura Ingraham, who said there was an abundant amount of talent in America, Trump disagreed, as Resist the Mainstream previously reported.
“No, you don’t. No, you don’t. You don’t have, you don’t have certain talents, and people have to learn!” he said. “You can’t take people off an unemployment line and say I’m gonna put you into a factory where we’re gonna make missiles.”
Supporters of Greene’s bill argue that it addresses both the displacement of American workers and the national shortage of medical professionals.
The legislation has already drawn attention among MAGA supporters, who have long criticized U.S. reliance on foreign labor in both healthcare and other industries.
Critics may view the proposal as restrictive for foreign talent and potentially disruptive to healthcare staffing in the short term.
The bill highlights ongoing debates over immigration, workforce priorities and the role of temporary visas in the U.S. labor market—an issue that continues to resonate strongly among conservative voters.
WATCH:
