Vice President JD Vance brought his anti-fraud campaign to Milwaukee on Wednesday, announcing that the Labor Department has opened investigations into foreign nationals suspected of abusing the H-1B visa program. Speaking at the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 128th Air Refueling Wing, Vance framed the crackdown as a simple matter of fairness: American jobs should go to American workers, not to what he called “foreign fraudsters.”
The H-1B program allows U.S. companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Vance argued that large corporations and overseas actors are exploiting the system to suppress wages. “Big corporations and fraudsters overseas are using this program to undercut the wages of American workers,” he said. “If you are trying to take advantage of that visa program, you are not allowed into the United States.”
Vance claimed the Trump administration has saved “billions and billions of dollars” that would have gone to fraudsters, though he offered no specific evidence to support the figure. He has served as President Trump’s “anti-fraud czar,” a role created after controversial enforcement actions targeting Somali communities in Minnesota.
The vice president used the speech to sharpen midterm battle lines in Wisconsin, a state Trump carried in both 2016 and 2024. He accused Democrats of turning a blind eye to fraud. “Not a single congressional Democrat stood up and said we are going to fight back against fraud,” Vance charged. “That’s the problem with modern congressional Democrats.”
Vance invoked his own family’s political history, noting that his grandparents were “blue-collar Democrats” who would not recognize today’s party. “They would not recognize a party that tries to send your money to illegal aliens instead of our hardworking seniors,” he said. “They would not recognize a party that raises your taxes so that we can give more money to the fraudsters.”
He praised several Wisconsin Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor. Vance said Tiffany “takes fraud as seriously” as Trump does. The governor’s race is one of several battleground contests that could reshape state power, as detailed in an analysis of key races across the country.
Vance’s appearance comes amid a broader Republican strategy that combines anti-fraud messaging with warnings about Democratic policies. Trump’s midterm strategy has leaned heavily on fear and fraud claims, a tactic that Vance amplified in Milwaukee. “This is not a normal election,” he said, “because we’re not running against people who maybe have different ideas about tax policy or regulatory policy.”
Democrats are hoping for a trifecta win in Wisconsin’s midterms, aiming to flip state legislative and U.S. House seats while retaining the governor’s office. Vance’s visit underscored the high stakes in a state that has become a perennial battleground.
