Pressure is mounting on President Donald Trump to back policies that could curtail Indian labor in the U.S. market, as new voices join the debate over H-1B visas and outsourcing.

The Young Republicans of Texas announced on August 29 that they will only endorse national candidates who oppose the H-1B visa program. The group said the program “forces young Americans to compete with the entire world for jobs” and cited the Republican Party of Texas platform calling for repeal.

“Resolution Making Endorsements Contingent on Opposition to the H-1B Visa Program … THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that in order for a candidate seeking national office to be eligible for endorsement by the Young Republicans of Texas, they must support ending the H-1B visa program,” the group wrote in a letter posted to X.

Peter Navarro, a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing under Trump, amplified related calls on X by reposting what commentator Jack Poso stated on September 1:

 

Poso’s denunciation of outsourcing coincides with growing tensions over the future of the H-1B visa program, which provides 85,000 slots annually to the private sector, with an additional number to universities. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data show that approximately 72% of H-1B visas are awarded to workers from India, with 12% going to those from China.

Authors with The Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that has long advocated for tougher restrictions, argued in a January 2025 article that loopholes allow companies to underpay foreign workers and displace American employees. The report by Elizabeth Jacobs fused the outsourcing and H-1B issues, saying, “Many of the top H-1B employers are outsourcing companies or companies with business models that are designed to permanently take businesses from the United States and bring them abroad.”

India remains the largest global outsourcing hub for U.S. companies, particularly in information technology and customer support, according to a June 2025 report from Unity Communications. The study listed India, China, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, and the Philippines as top outsourcing destinations, with India projected to see double-digit growth through 2027.

Unity’s website states that U.S. companies prefer India because the country has “low-cost, technically skilled, and English-speaking  IT professionals.”

This upswell of frustration about foreign, mostly Indian, labor in recent weeks has been framed by opposing pushes in Washington, D.C.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee drew attention last month with a one-line post:

Other Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vice President JD Vance, have attacked the program as a mechanism for large firms to lay off Americans while hiring foreign talent, DX previously reported. Democrats, meanwhile, have largely supported expansion, with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto praising a Biden-era rule that broadened eligibility.

Some, like Sen. Bernie Sanders, have broken ranks, describing H-1B workers as “indentured servants” and urging higher employer fees.

The Dallas Express reported that federal regulators recently cleared a Department of Homeland Security rule that would replace the lottery system with one prioritizing higher wages and education levels. The specifics of the program are still unknown. However, there is widespread speculation that the Trump administration plans to move away from the current lottery system for awarding visas. Instead, they may implement a system in which companies receive visas based on the salaries they offer to visa holders.

This could be a radical change to the program, but the question remains whether this will be enough as Trump’s allies grow more militant against foreign labor and his opponents push for access to foreign labor for American corporations.