This problem of labor, immigration and corporate greed must be solved!

 

Musk vs Bannon H-1B Visa Clash: Candace Owens, Others on Who'll Win

Published Jan 03, 2025 By Shane Croucher www.newsweek.com

There is a big debate taking place among supporters of President-elect Donald Trump over H-1B visas, which enables American employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, such as highly-skilled technology roles.

Front and center of that debate but on opposing sides are two of Trump's most-prominent supporters: Technology billionaire Elon Musk and his former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Musk, who helped to bankroll Trump's re-election campaign and is leading his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), sees H-1B visas as essential to attracting the best global talent to the U.S., strengthening American companies.

But Bannon, an architect of Trump's original Make America Great Again platform, argues that these visas mean American talent is sidelined or left undeveloped, which ultimately hurts the U.S. He wants them gone.

The rhetoric has been spiky at times. Musk, addressing critics of the H-1B visa in a post on X, wrote: "Take a big step back and F**K YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend."

Bannon on his War Room podcast called Musk and others "recent converts" and warned "we're going to rip your face off" if they "go to the pulpit in your first week here and start lecturing people about the way things are going to be."

So who will win this MAGA fight, Musk or Bannon? Newsweek put the question to commentators who have spoken about the debate. Here's what they said.

Candace Owens, Host of The Candace Show

Steve Bannon because he has had his pulse on the MAGA movement since its inception.

Elon is demonstrating very little interest in coming to understand the legitimate concerns of the voters who just put Trump into office.

Read more Elon Musk

Steve Bannon Counters Donald Trump's CIA Demand: 'Part of the Problem'

• Bernie Sanders Sides With MAGA on H-1B Debate
• Poll Shows Trump Has a Mandate to Stop Illegal Immigration. Can He Deliver?
• MSNBC Hits Joe Biden on Immigration: 'Trump Is Not Wrong'

Mar-A-Lago, where he is spending all of his time, neither represents nor depicts the lifestyle of the average American.

Mark Krikorian, Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies

This is not so much a fight as a debate over how to proceed, and both can win. It's the nature of coalitions to be made up of factions with different interests.

If Bannon represents the populist, pro-worker faction and Musk the techbro faction, they both can get some of what they want with meaningful reforms to H-1B, which Musk has said he's open to.

Administrative reforms can both curb the abuse of H-1B and also still allow its use by tech companies for genuine top talents.

That would include some combination of ending the lottery and moving to a salary-based selection system; raising the minimum salary that has to be offered; and/or making it harder, or even impossible, for rent-a-programmer staffing companies from using the visa.

This isn't an existential crisis for Trump's coalition but rather the normal hashing out of differences and settling on a way forward.

Michael Savage, Host of The Savage Nation

Musk is the primary driver behind the expanded H-1B visas for foreign workers. Of course Musk will prevail. He has already backtracked on his demands and stated the minimum salaries for such workers must be raised.

However, this is not what is required from an "America first" administration. We must train qualified American citizens for these jobs with a new "Manhattan Project". Billions must be invested to train American tech workers.

If absolutely needed for positions which American citizens cannot do foreign tech workers can be employed, but only on a temporary basis. No green cards for chain migration.

Kevin Lynn, Executive Director, The Institute for Sound Public Policy; Founder, U.S. Tech Workers

Elon Musk may hold significant influence over H-1B visa policy due to his close relationship with Donald Trump, giving him leverage in shaping immigration decisions.

However, this political maneuver could prove costly for Trump, potentially tarnishing his legacy and alienating his base, which may view his stance as a betrayal.

As Trump aligns more with Silicon Valley elites, Steve Bannon's coalition, which opposes these policies, is likely to grow stronger and more vocal.

This shift could further fracture Trump's support, driving his base to increasingly call out the contradictions in his stance on immigration.

What Are H-1B Visas?

The H-1B visa program allows U.S. companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations.

A specialty occupation worker may be granted a temporary stay in the U.S. for up to three years.

The period can be extended but "generally cannot go beyond a total of 6 years," with some exceptions, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

How Many H-1B Visas Were Issued In the Past Few Years?

There is an annual cap of 65,000 new H-1B visas that can be issued. An "additional 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries with a master's degree or higher from a U.S. institution of higher education are exempt from the cap."

USCIS announced that the annual H-1B visa cap for the 2025 fiscal year was reached in December, just two months after the year began on October 1. The agency said: "We will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap."

Extensions and employment changes (like switching employers) are exempt from the annual cap, which applies only to the total limit of 85,000 visas—a threshold the U.S. has consistently reached since 2006.

What Jobs Do People With H-1B Visas Work?

People with H-1B visas possess specialized knowledge and are typically employed in fields such as software development, engineering, health care, finance, education and research. These workers are hired in high-demand sectors requiring specific expertise.

The visa is primarily used by tech companies, financial institutions and universities. In 2024, Amazon, Google, Meta and other major companies dominated the market, each receiving several thousand visas.

Bernie Sanders Sides With MAGA on H-1B Visas

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a self-described democratic socialist, released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) criticizing Musk's perspective on the visa program.

"The main function of the H-1B visa program and other guest worker initiatives is not to hire 'the best and the brightest,' but rather to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage indentured servants from abroad," Sanders wrote.

"The cheaper the labor they hire, the more money the billionaires make."

He agreed that the program should be used as a "short-term and temporary approach" to solve real labor shortages but warned the U.S. should prioritize funding scholarships, apprenticeships and job training opportunities for Americans to make sure the country has the "best educated workforce in the world."