Renewals for people who are already working for an employer. Renewals don’t require searching for an american employee.

Also, h1-b is limited to 6 years (one renewal) unless I-140 (green card) has been filed for the employee. In which case, renewals become unlimited until green card is granted.

For Indians the GC queue is nearly infinite, hence too many renewals.

My question was rhetorical. Renewals shouldn't be treated differently from new applications in spirit.

The H1B worker is meant to temporarily fill a gap. If there is available US talent, the H1B worker should leave and be replaced by a citizen/permanent resident.