Texas Bars Grants to Firms Hiring H-1B Workers

Hyderabad: The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) will no longer award the department‑administered grants to businesses that employ H‑1B visa holders, agriculture commissioner Sid Miller announced on Thursday.

Stating that taxpayer money should prioritise local workers, Miller said the policy aims to ensure public funds create job opportunities for Texans instead of supporting businesses dependent on temporary foreign workers.

Telugu‑speaking immigrants form a prominent part of Texas’s immigrant population, particularly in metropolitan areas such as Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and Houston. Many Telugu professionals work on H‑1B visas across technology and other sectors.

“Texas workers should come first. Period,” Miller said in a statement. He added that companies receiving taxpayer support should demonstrate commitment to the state’s workforce, not to foreign workers.

Miller also urged Governor Greg Abbott and other statewide elected officials to introduce similar restrictions across departments, grant programmes and economic development initiatives. He called for greater transparency about businesses receiving public funds and a review of existing incentives.

The commissioner argued that Texas had invested heavily in education, job training and workforce development, and that public money should support opportunities for local workers.

The new eligibility requirements apply to grants administered directly by the TDA. They do not cover programmes managed by the department on behalf of independent boards, commissions or other entities with separate rules. The changes also do not restrict Texas entities from receiving federal grants or participating in state‑funded loan programmes.

Although the policy concerns state agriculture grants rather than a direct ban on hiring H‑1B workers, it will affect businesses seeking such funding and adds to wider debates about the role of skilled immigrants in the Texas economy.