Vice President JD Vance ignited a fresh round of debate over high‑skill immigration this week, accusing Microsoft of “gaming the system” by laying off thousands of U.S. employees while continuing to file large numbers of H‑1B visa petitions. Speaking at the All-In sponsored Hill & Valley “Winning the AI Race” summit in Washington, Vance told a packed auditorium, “You eliminate 9,000 jobs, then you apply for 6,000 foreign‑worker visas, and you still claim you can’t find American talent? That doesn’t pass the smell test.” His comment drew applause from some policymakers and audible groans from others, underscoring how sharply the H‑1B debate now divides even pro‑business Republicans.