Washington, Dec 9 (NationPress) A coalition of Republican lawmakers is calling on the White House to abolish the Optional Practical Training program, asserting that this long-standing work authorization pathway for international students lacks Congressional approval and has evolved into what they describe as an expensive and unregulated system.

In a letter dated December 4 to White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the lawmakers asserted that the student work program has become “dangerously unauthorized, abused, and costly to the American taxpayer.” They emphasized that OPT “has never been riper for repeal.”

Thirteen Republican lawmakers signed the letter, which was made public on Monday.

The OPT program, initiated by regulation in 1992, permits international students holding F-1 visas to work in the US for a maximum of three years post-graduation, especially in the fields of science and technology. The lawmakers contended that the program “circumvents the H-1B visa cap” and allows employers to engage foreign graduates at “cheaper wages,” thus “putting American students last.”

“Fortunately, OPT was established by a pen and can be rescinded by the President’s pen,” the letter stated. The lawmakers cautioned the administration that any alterations short of complete termination could “inadvertently codify the program, similar to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).”

They referenced federal immigration data indicating that in 2024, “194,554 foreign students obtained work authorization through OPT… and 95,384 foreign students through STEM OPT,” highlighting that “the greatest number of these students” originated from India and China. They also quoted Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which acknowledged that “the total number of foreign students working at any point during the year may exceed the number of employment authorizations issued each year.”

Labeling OPT as “the largest unregulated guest worker scheme in the United States,” the lawmakers asserted that large corporations and universities benefit from hiring foreign graduates, while smaller domestic businesses “are among those hit the hardest by OPT’s fleecing of payroll taxes.”

They cautioned that the program allows participants access to sensitive domains such as “defense research and development,” “telecommunications,” “semiconductor engineering,” and “missile and space systems.” Citing a 2022 federal audit, the lawmakers remarked that ICE “has not assessed OPT’s vulnerability to Chinese espionage.”

Furthermore, they claimed that OPT “fleeces taxpayers” as participants are exempt from Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes, estimating that the program costs trust funds “$4 billion annually.”

“In simple terms, OPT deprives opportunities from American students,”

the lawmakers urged the administration to terminate the program “so Congress can put an end to this tragedy once and for all.”