Sen. Eric Schmidt (R-Missouri) said H1-B visas are being “abused” in the United States and claimed that many American workers are being forced to “train their replacements.”
Schmidt made the comments on Fox News Sunday with host Shannon Bream, opposing Elon Musk’s move to increase the number of immigrant workers.
“I think there are important and thoughtful discussions being had. But I think what we need to keep in mind here is that American workers are being left out of this economy. A lot of jobs are going overseas,” Schmidt said. .
“I think the abuse of the H-1B program is clear. People like the sons and daughters of factory workers who lost their jobs and took white-collar jobs as accountants are being trained to replace them. of foreign workers are driving down wages,” he continued.
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Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) is skeptical of the H-1B visa program.
“So I think the solution that President Trump really articulated in 2020 is to reform the system so that it’s not abusive, that it’s merit-based, that it doesn’t drive down wages.” I will train my replacement,” he added.
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Schmidt went on to defend President Trump’s deportation plan and argue that the United States needs to increase its “investment” in American workers.
Elon Musk defended the H-1B visa program, which allows “skilled” foreign workers to be hired for jobs in the U.S. (Nathan Lane/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The idea of deporting illegal aliens is not a new concept. In fact, the policy of U.S. law is, you know, for 200 years, if you come here illegally, you’re going to be detained.” “Nine out of 10 asylum applications are false unless there is a valid reason,” Schmidt said.
He said “only in the last four years” have Democrats, who control the federal government, refused to enforce current laws.
Musk and his DOGE counterpart Vivek Ramaswamy sparked a fight within MAGA last week with a proposal to increase immigration visas for high-skilled workers.
Ramaswamy said on social media that American culture has glorified “ordinary” for decades and argued that the solution is to import skilled labor from other countries.
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During his first administration, President Trump limited access to foreign worker visas and criticized the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialized jobs.
Anders Hagström is a reporter for Fox News Digital, covering national politics and major breaking news. Send your tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com or Twitter:@Hagstrom_Anders.
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