West Virginia Congressman Calls H-1B Visa Program a Scam Against American Workers

Rep. Riley Moore from West Virginia isn’t mincing words anymore. He’s calling the H-1B visa program exactly what it is: a scam. And he’s not alone. Behind the scenes, there’s a growing chorus of Republican lawmakers who’ve had enough of watching American workers get pushed aside in favor of cheaper foreign labor dressed up as something noble.

The pitch has always sounded reasonable enough. H-1B visas are supposed to bring in highly skilled foreign workers to fill jobs that Americans simply can’t do. Specialized positions requiring expertise we don’t have here at home. Except that’s not what’s happening. Not even close.

Moore laid it out plainly. We shipped manufacturing jobs overseas and told displaced workers to learn how to code. So they did. They went back to school, racked up student debt, learned the skills they were told would secure their future. And now? Now they’re getting replaced by H-1B visa holders in those very same coding jobs. When exactly does the American worker catch a break?

Look at Microsoft. The company laid off 1,600 workers from its XBOX division recently. That same year, Microsoft got approval for 2,273 H-1B visas. Think about that for a second. You’re cutting American jobs while simultaneously bringing in foreign workers. The optics alone should make any executive with a shred of self-awareness uncomfortable, but here we are.

The list of companies using these visas reads like a who’s who of corporate America. Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, Cognizant, Infosys. These aren’t struggling startups desperately seeking talent. They’re giants with resources to train workers, to invest in Americans, to actually live up to the rhetoric they spout in their diversity reports and corporate responsibility statements.

Here’s the part that should infuriate everyone. Companies using H-1B visas aren’t required to prove they couldn’t find a qualified American for the job. Read that again. There’s no mandate to even try hiring domestically first. The whole system operates on an honor code that corporations have shown repeatedly they won’t honor when there’s money to be saved.

Moore calls it a rigged market, and he’s right. This isn’t free market capitalism. When government bureaucrats determine how many visas get issued and companies exploit those allocations to undercut American wages, that’s central planning with a corporate twist. The invisible hand of the market can’t work when the government’s thumb is on the scale.

We’re graduating kids with $200,000 in student loan debt. They studied hard, learned marketable skills, did everything society told them to do. And now they’re working as baristas because some company decided it’s easier to import workers who’ll accept lower pay and fewer benefits. That’s not a skills gap. That’s a wage arbitrage scheme.

The H-1B visa typically lasts three years, but extensions can push that to six. During that time, nothing stops these workers from pursuing permanent residency. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 80% of H-1B holders who become permanent residents do so through employment-based green cards. They can eventually become naturalized citizens. The temporary program becomes a permanent pipeline.

Moore insists the notion that H-1B workers possess superior skills is a complete fallacy. The real draw? They work for less. That’s it. That’s the whole game. Companies aren’t seeking excellence. They’re seeking discounts on labor costs while maintaining the fiction that they’re engaged in some high-minded global talent search.

The frustration is building among lawmakers who actually talk to constituents dealing with this reality. Young people who played by the rules and still can’t get a foothold in their chosen careers. Parents who sacrificed to put kids through college only to watch them compete against imported workers willing to accept whatever terms employers dictate. These aren’t abstract policy debates. They’re kitchen table conversations happening in homes across America.

You know what’s particularly galling? The same politicians and pundits who lecture about helping the middle class and supporting American workers go silent when it comes to H-1B reform. Suddenly the free market rhetoric appears. Suddenly we hear about global competitiveness and the need for diverse talent pools. It’s convenient how principles shift depending on who’s writing the checks.

This isn’t about xenophobia or isolationism. It’s about basic fairness. If American companies want to operate in American markets, benefit from American infrastructure, and enjoy American legal protections, maybe they should prioritize American workers. Radical concept, apparently.

Moore’s leading the charge on this, and the support he’s getting suggests something’s shifting. People are tired of being told the economy’s great while their job prospects shrink. They’re tired of experts explaining why their lived experience is somehow wrong. They’re tired of watching the system work for everyone except them.

The H-1B program needs to end or face serious reform that actually protects American workers. Require companies to prove they exhausted domestic hiring options. Mandate wage parity so there’s no financial incentive to choose foreign workers over Americans. Make the system serve its stated purpose instead of functioning as a corporate cost-cutting tool.

American workers deserve better than empty promises and rigged systems. They deserve a government that puts their interests first. That’s not nationalism. That’s basic representation. And it’s long overdue.