Waukesha Times

Congressman Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin's 5th District has commented on President Trump’s recent Proclamation to reform the H-1B visa program. The new policy aims to prioritize American workers for jobs that have often gone to foreign labor through the H-1B system.

“Relying on foreign labor is not a long-term solution, it’s a broken system. If we’re serious about fixing this problem, we need to put American workers first in American jobs. For too long, the H-1B program has been used as a crutch, bringing in overseas workers instead of training and hiring our own citizens. Right now, 235 positions at UW-Madison are filled by foreign workers because the university hasn’t produced enough skilled American graduates to do those jobs. It’s not just UW. As reported yesterday, some of Wisconsin’s top companies are turning to foreign labor instead of finding talent here at home," Fitzgerald stated.

He added: “President Trump’s action takes a critical step toward putting American workers back at the front of the line. If a company insists it needs specialized foreign labor, it can pay the one-time $100,000 fee, and that money goes right back into strengthening our country."

Fitzgerald also emphasized the need for significant changes: “Drastic measures must be taken with the H-1B program because small or short-term fixes haven’t worked in the past and, in many cases, haven’t even been seriously attempted. That’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing: confronting the problem head-on and making sure American workers have the priority they deserve.”

Fitzgerald was re-elected in 2022 after defeating Mike Van Someren with over 64 percent of the vote. In 2020, he won against Tom Palzewicz with more than 60 percent support.