US Vice President JD Vance defined socialism at a press conference on Thursday, October 8, 2026. The vice president said the term, in the "American context," means wanting to "replace American workers with foreign workers." He added that it also means wanting "boys to play in girls' sports."C-SPAN shared a clip of the remarks on X, and The Independent reported them on October 8."I think in reality, what it actually means in the American context, is that you want to replace American workers with foreign workers, and you want boys to play in girls' sports."Vance was asked how he would "personally" define socialism and why he thinks socialist candidates are "popping up everywhere across the country."Newsweek reported that the event announced enforcement actions against companies accused of misusing employment visa programs.JD Vance's definition of socialism and the Bernie Sanders comparisonJD Vance first called socialism "a hard term to define these days," The Independent reported. Classically, he said, it would be about prioritizing workers. Most self-described socialists running in the United States would "howl" about the day's announcement, he added. In his view, the announcement puts American workers ahead of foreign ones. He then added,"So I don't know what the term means anymore."JD Vance then turned to Senator Bernie Sanders, according to Newsweek. In 2016, he said Sanders was asked about open borders and gave an answer similar to one from Stephen Miller. Sanders said there would be no open borders because they would displace American workers, Vance told the outlet.JD Vance argued that the modern American left has moved away from that view. Newsweek described Sanders as a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats.The Independent noted that Merriam-Webster defines socialism as theories or movements favoring collective or government ownership of production and distribution.The visa crackdown behind the press conferenceThe US administration is suspending Microsoft, Adobe and several IT outsourcing firms from the Labor Department's PERM program, Newsweek reported. The program lets employers sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency.Officials said the companies will remain suspended indefinitely, and new and pending applications will not be considered. The Independent described the suspension as temporary.Vice President JD Vance @VPLINKVice President JD Vance announces the suspension of the PERM Program for Microsoft:"Thanks to an ongoing investigation, we have decided to suspend the PERM program for Microsoft, which means they will no longer be able to take those H-1Bs and apply for permanent resident status within the United States of America. Now our message to Microsoft and to any other foreign or domestic corporation is quite simple. We obviously want you to thrive in the United States of America. We want people to invest in the United States of America, particularly the American technology sector. We’re the biggest boosters of your industry. We want you to continue to grow and to employ a lot of people, but we want you to employ American workers. And so our message to Microsoft is, you’re great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers. You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants."JD Vance said the administration's investigation found that Microsoft laid off about 6,000 American workers. During that period, it kept roughly 6,300 non-citizens hired through H-1B visas, he said. Officials also alleged that some companies made misleading claims when seeking permanent residency for foreign employees. Vance said no company had abused the system more than Microsoft.Microsoft disputed the claims in a statement to Newsweek. Of roughly 6,000 H-1B applications filed in the last fiscal year, 80% were to extend or change the status of current employees, it said. The company also told The Independent that most of its US employees are Americans.Vance described the H-1B program as meant for the "best of the best" in roles American workers cannot fill, The Independent reported. He said it has become rife with fraud. The outlet added that the administration's $100,000 H-1B application fee remains tied up in federal court.Universities are under review as well. Newsweek said officials plan to investigate use of the J-1 visa program at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown and MIT, among others. Stanford said it will cooperate. Brown said it has received a government subpoena for records on foreign labor programs.