Steve Bannon on War Room. 12/31/24
Steve Bannon is not backing down in the ongoing MAGA civil war over H-1B visas sparked by Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher. These occupational fields often include IT, engineering, mathematics, and medicine.
As of September 30, 2019, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)estimated that approximately 583,420 individuals were authorized to work in the United States under the H-1B visa classification. Each fiscal year, there is a congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 H-1B visas, with an additional 20,000 visas available for individuals holding a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution, totaling 85,000 new H-1B visas annually.
The debate on whether or not the program should continue comes after Musk and Ramaswamy openly stated that American workers need to be replaced by foreigners because we lack the competence and motivation of outsiders. Musk used the analogy of a pro sports team, basically claiming that America cannot win with America First policies because American workers are not “talented and motivated” enough. Vivek Ramaswamy instead blamed American culture for prioritizing “mediocrity over excellence” as the reason why “top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over ‘native’ Americans.”
Ultimately, Musk declared he would go to war on the issue “the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend” and told critics to “Take a big step back and F*CK YOURSELF in the face.” As The Gateway Pundit reported, Musk also called for the “contemptible fools” in the Republican Party who want less migration to be expelled from the Republican Party.
The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B.
Take a big step back and FUCK YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 28, 2024
After facing continued backlash from conservatives, Elon appeared to tone down his previous comments, admitting that “the program is broken and needs major reform,” including higher salary requirements and a yearly fee for H-1B visas.
Easily fixed by raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H1B, making it materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically.
I’ve been very clear that the program is broken and needs major reform.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 29, 2024
In a recent episode of his War Room podcast, Bannon called out Musk, Ramaswamy, and other billionaire tech oligarchs for gaming the system at the expense of American citizens to increase their bottom line with cheaper foreign labor.
War Room’s Steve Bannon Ups the Ante, Calls for a Moratorium on Immigration Including Eliminating H-1B Visas (VIDEO)
Robert F. Kennedy’s running mate in the 2024 election and Silicon Valley attorney, Nicole Shanahan, also pointed the finger at tech companies, correcting the idea that Americans are too lazy or dumb for these jobs. “Let’s be real: tech companies getting massive breaks on cheap labor at the expense of the American way of life is predatory,” she said. “Blaming our culture for why American STEM grads won’t take underpaying jobs is ridiculous and insulting.”
She further noted in her X thread, “To keep pace with global competitors like China and India, we need Americans ready to tackle the challenging jobs in these fields. We have them, but often our STEM grads turn their noses up at these entry-level, low-paying coding positions after investing in a costly education.”
I take issue with some of the discourse I’ve read online today suggesting “lazy American culture” is the main driver for why we need to continue the H-1B program. Let’s be real: tech companies getting massive breaks on cheap labor at the expense of the American way of life is…
— Nicole Shanahan (@NicoleShanahan) December 27, 2024
The debate on Musk’s X platform further led to the censorship of dissenting voices, with many pro-Trump influencers, including Laura Loomer, reporting suspension and loss of verification badges, The Gateway Pundit reported.
Trump has seemingly wavered from previous positions on H-1B visas during his first term.
Previously, in 2016, Trump said, “The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration: these are temporary foreign workers, imported from abroad, for the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay.” He continued, “I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions.“
Later, in 2020, Trump said in an official White House Statement, “No one can compete with American workers when they’re given a fair and level playing field, which has not happened for decades.” The statement further championed his work on “closing loopholes that have allowed employers in the United States to replace American workers with low-cost foreign labor.”
But during a New Year’s Eve celebration at the Mar a Lago, Trump told reporters, “I didn’t change my mind. I’ve always felt we have to have the most competent people in our country, and we need competent people. We need smart people coming into our country, and we need a lot of people coming in. We’re going to have jobs like we’ve never had before.”
Trump further said last June on the All In podcast, co-hosted by South African Silicon Valley venture capitalist David Sacks, that he wants to “automatically” give green cards to “anybody [who] graduates from a college.” Foreigners graduating college and having uncertainty about their immigration status is “going to end on day one,” Trump said. Chamath Palihapitiya, a Sri Lankan-born Canadian American Venture Capitalist, responded to Trump’s comments, “That’s fantastic,” and David Sacks agreed, “I think we all wholeheartedly agree with that.”
Bannon, however, is drawing a line in the sand on the issue and has called for an immigration moratorium, stating that H-1B should be done away with entirely and American workers should come first, even calling for reparations for any American who “had their futures stolen” by foreign workers.
Bannon highlighted a critical article from the New Republic on Gettr, doubling down on his previous statements, commenting:
Report the Facts New Republic:
1. Eliminate H1B Visas as # 1 Priority of DOGE
2. Deport ALL H1B Visa Holders Immediately
3. Hire American Citizens to Fill the Now Open H1B Billets
4. Then Convene Tech Companies for Discussion on Reparations American Workers that had Their Futures Stolen
The post Steve Bannon Doubles Down, Calls for Elimination of H-1B Visas, Deportations of “ALL H-1B Visa Holders Immediately” and Reparations for Americans who Had Their Jobs Stolen by Foreigners appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.