Marjorie Taylor Greene Pushes H-1B Ban, Defying Trump

Tapping into deepening economic anxieties and a growing sense of worker displacement, rebellious Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene ignited a political firestorm on Thursday with the unveiling of her MTG H-1B phase-out bill, a sweeping legislative proposal to dismantle the United States’ most prominent skilled-worker visa program.

The announcement, delivered through a viral X post that quickly crossed two million views, signals yet another rift between Greene and President Donald Trump—an unusual fissure within a movement already grappling with internal contradictions.

Greene’s proposal takes direct aim at Big Tech giants, AI companies, healthcare systems, and research-driven industries she accuses of “abusing” the program to hire “cheaper foreign labor,” particularly from India, whose nationals receive roughly 70 percent of annual H-1B slots. In stark, uncompromising language, she branded the visa system a “corrupt pipeline for mass replacement of American workers,” insisting the program has strayed far from its original purpose of filling temporary, high-skill gaps.

The bill’s cornerstone is bold: a full elimination of the H-1B program, its pathways to permanent residency severed, and all existing visa holders required to return home after their authorized stay—no extensions, no transitions, no exceptions.

Marjorie Taylor Greene: A Narrow Medical Exemption — and a Slow Squeeze

The MTG H-1B phase-out bill carves out only one modest concession: 10,000 annual visas for doctors and nurses, an acknowledgment of the ongoing U.S. healthcare worker shortage. Yet even this safety valve is temporary. The exemption winds down over a decade, a deliberate measure Greene says will encourage the growth of a “domestic pipeline” of American physicians.

The bill also bars non-citizen medical students from participating in Medicare-funded residency programs—a point Greene framed as justice for last year’s controversial match cycle, where nearly 9,000 U.S. medical graduates went unmatched while more than 5,000 foreign-born applicants secured placements. Critics argue the comparison ignores specialty preferences, geographic constraints, and hospital economics, but Greene has seized on the statistic as proof of systemic failure.

MTG’s ‘America First’ Rationale — and the Reality Check

Greene’s justification for the MTG H-1B phase-out bill draws heavily on her “America First” ethos. In her video statement, she proclaimed:

“Americans are the most talented people in the world. If we want the next generation to have the American Dream, we must stop replacing them and start investing in them.”

However, several long-running studies from universities, think tanks, and industry analysts contradict her case, consistently pointing to chronic educational shortfalls and workforce shortages in engineering, computer science, biotech, cybersecurity, and medical specialties. While isolated cases of H-1B misuse exist, widespread displacement claims have historically lacked substantiation.

Marjorie Taylor Greene: Support From MAGA Hardliners — Even Her Critics

The reaction across the MAGA faction was immediate and fervent. Firebrand activist Laura Loomer—usually a fierce critic of Greene—surprisingly praised long-standing arguments against the H-1B system, calling it a “corporate version of indentured servitude” that suppresses American wages. Steve Bannon amplified the call on his War Room podcast, declaring that the visa program should be “zeroed-out” to halt “foreign worker replacements.”

Some Republicans outside the far-right echo chamber also expressed interest in reform. For years, Senator Chuck Grassley and Senator Dick Durbin have pushed for bipartisan H-1B and L-1 reforms focusing on fraud prevention and wage protections—not full abolition, but a nod toward structural overhaul.

Trump’s Tightrope — And the Growing MAGA Revolt

What makes Greene’s escalation particularly explosive is its timing. Earlier this week, President Trump appeared to defend the H-1B program, saying the U.S. lacks “certain talents” required for growth in defense and cutting-edge technologies. After a swift backlash from his base, White House surrogates scrambled to “clarify” his remarks, insisting that Trump wants foreign workers to help train Americans and eventually return home.

Still, the damage was done. MAGA influencers assailed Trump for straying from the movement’s core. Now, Greene’s bill capitalizes on that frustration, widening the ideological divide.

Adding to the chaos, Florida Congressman Byron Donalds—once mocked online as “H1Byron” for defending the program—abruptly reversed course, telling conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that he’d “love to see the program go away completely.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis followed with a directive to state universities: stop using H-1B hires for non-elite roles like assistant coaches, communications staff, public policy faculty, and graphic designers.