American company FedEx received a $2.24 billion contract from the US Transportation Command in December 2022 for the Next Generation Delivery Service-2 programme. This deal covers April 2023 to September 2026, with options until 2030. At that time, FedEx had about 24 approved H-1B visa workers. By 2025, that number jumped to around 500. Some visa roles showed salaries between $100,000 and $115,000. Meanwhile, FedEx announced layoffs of 856 jobs at one warehouse in November 2025. Earlier cuts included 305 jobs in Fort Worth and 131 in Garland and Plano. Other layoffs hit places like Memphis, Kentucky, New York, and Pennsylvania. A FedEx spokesperson told Dallas Express, "FedEx is committed to offering employees the opportunity to grow and advance in their careers. Doing so helps our team members thrive, and FedEx prosper. Our strategy is centred around recruiting a skilled workforce that meets our unique business needs and hiring the most qualified candidates." Sources said the rise in H-1B hires results from corporate partnerships and is not directly related to the job cuts, since laid-off roles are not H-1B eligible. H-1B visas are meant for jobs requiring a bachelor's degree or higher. Recently, the system has become controversial. US Vice President JD Vance said, "You Might Try Hiring Americans." Many MAGA and GOP voices want to ban H-1B, accusing it of taking jobs from Americans and favoring cheaper immigrant labor. Some reports mention that American workers trained their foreign replacements before losing their jobs. However, business leaders like Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk argue that foreign talent is vital for US tech and IT sectors. FedEx stated it follows all laws and hires workers regardless of ethnicity. The company did not connect its federal contract to the rise in H-1B hires or the layoffs.