Trump awards Satya Nadella as US suspends Microsoft from PERM green-card programme
Hours after Vice President JD Vance suspended Microsoft from a green card programme for H-1B workers, Trump gave medals to six tech leaders, including Microsoft's Satya Nadella.
5 min readOct 9, 2026 10:32 AM IST First published on: Oct 9, 2026 at 10:18 AM IST
President Donald Trump, right, presents the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during an event at the US Institute of Peace. (Photo: AP)
United States President Donald Trump gave medals to six tech leaders on Thursday, including Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella, just hours after Vice-President JD Vance said Microsoft was being suspended from a programme that lets firms apply for green cards for skilled foreign workers on H-1B visas.
Vance accused the company of misusing the visa system. Five of the six people Trump honoured were born outside the US, as reported by the Associated Press (AP). The two events on the same day show the gap between the administration’s push to cut immigration and its reliance on tech firms to drive the economy.
What Vance said about Microsoft
Vance made the announcement at a news conference before the medal ceremony. He told reporters Microsoft is a US company that should hire US workers, and said firms cannot lay off American staff and replace them with “foreign indentured servants”. He said Microsoft fired 6,000 US workers last year but also got 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,000 green cards.
Microsoft is based in Redmond, Washington, and has 223,000 employees worldwide. In a statement, the company said most of its H-1B applications last fiscal year were to extend or change the status of people who already work for it. Asked about the clash with the ceremony, Vance said the administration will keep supporting Microsoft and has a good relationship with it.
Who is Satya Nadella?
Satya Nadella is the chief executive of Microsoft. He was born in Hyderabad, India, and studied electrical engineering at Manipal Institute of Technology before moving to the US for further study.
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He joined Microsoft in 1992 and became its chief executive in February 2014, taking over from Steve Ballmer. He has also been chairman since 2021. Under him, the company has put its focus on cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Trump honours six tech leaders
Trump gave the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Nadella and to Michael Dell, the chief executive of Dell Technologies. Dell backs the government’s investment accounts for children, known as Trump Accounts. The National Medal of Science went to Elon Musk of SpaceX, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Lisa Su, chief executive of AMD.
In his remarks on Nadella, Trump said nothing about Microsoft’s hiring of foreign workers. He spoke instead about Nadella’s role in the company’s change over more than 30 years. He called the group “national treasures” and compared them to his uncle John Trump, an MIT engineer and professor who received the National Medal of Science in 1983. Nadella thanked Trump on social media and said he looks forward to working together on technology. A White House spokesperson, Liz Huston, said the winners are helping the US stay ahead in innovation.
Five of six were born abroad, and universities are in the frame
Musk was born in South Africa, Brin in Russia, and Huang and Su in Taiwan. Nadella moved to the US from India. Dell, born in Texas, is the only one of the six born in the US. The Trump team says it can tell apart top-level immigrants who start major firms from workers it says have hurt US jobs.
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Vance also said several universities, including Stanford and MIT, should be investigated for visa fraud. Huang and Brin have degrees from Stanford, and Su has several degrees from MIT.
The ceremony was part of a summit on a new “golden age” of science. Trump has praised tech leaders for their work on artificial intelligence, which he calls super intelligence, and he counts on it to support the economy. The midterm elections are less than a month away, and ABC News says polls show worry about AI moving too fast and about the cost of fuel and food.
ABC News does not say how many Microsoft staff are affected by the suspension or how long it will last. Indian workers at US firms should watch for updates from their employers and from US immigration authorities.
The Express Global Desk at indianexpress.com which delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. The desk focuses on stories with direct relevance for Indian and global audiences, combining breaking news with in-depth explainers and analysis. A major focus area of the desk is US immigration and visa policy, including developments related to student visas, work permits, permanent residency pathways, executive actions, and court rulings. The Global Desk also closely tracks Canada’s immigration, visa, and study policies, covering changes to study permits, post-study work options, permanent residence programmes, and regulatory updates affecting migrants and international students. All reporting from the Global Desk adheres to The Indian Express’ editorial standards, relying on official data, government notifications, court documents, and on-record sources. The desk prioritises clarity, accuracy, and accountability, ensuring readers can navigate complex global systems with confidence. Core Team The Express Global Desk is led by a team of experienced journalists and editors with deep expertise in international affairs and migration policy: Aniruddha Dhar – Senior Assistant Editor with extensive experience in global affairs, international politics, and editorial leadership. Nischai Vats – Deputy Copy Editor specialising in US politics, US visa and immigration policy, and policy-driven international coverage. Mashkoora Khan – Sub-editor focusing on global developments, with a strong emphasis on Canada visa, immigration, and study-related policy coverage. ... Read More
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