President-elect Donald Trump finds himself at a crossroads as Elon Musk, his billionaire backer, calls for an expansion of the H-1B visa program to address labor shortages – at odds with the views of a majority of Americans, polls show Opposes measures and advocates domestic solutions to labor shortages.

A Rasmussen Reports poll conducted in November found that 60 percent of Americans thought the country already had enough talented people to train and recruit for higher-skilled positions, while 26 percent wanted an increase in the number of foreign workers for such positions advocated.

Newsweek emailed Trump’s transition team for comment.

Why it matters

Recently, a heated argument erupted between Musk and Trump’s MAGA supporters over the H-1B visa program, a hotly contested initiative that allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers for specialized tasks.

Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump appointed to co-head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, have strongly supported the program – while immigration hardliners like Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer have opposed its expansion.

Amid this intraparty tension over H-1B visas, Trump has expressed support for the program. The conflict between Musk’s vision and public opinion reflects a broader national debate over immigration and labor policy.

What you should know

Industries such as technology, finance, and science are among the most common participants in the H-1B visa program. In 2024, major companies – including Amazon, Google and Meta – secured thousands of H-1B visas. Tesla, Musk’s electric car maker, has reportedly brought hundreds of employees to the US as part of the program.

The program has a federal cap, with 65,000 new H-1B visas issued annually. Additionally, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, applications from 20,000 beneficiaries with a U.S. master’s degree or higher are exempt from this limit.

These visas grant workers temporary permission to reside and work in the United States.

Trump has previously supported policies that limit immigration and prioritize American workers. During his first term, he implemented measures to tighten immigration regulations, including restrictions on H-1B visas.

According to the Rasmussen Reports survey, 59 percent of respondents not only believed that the country has enough talented workers for higher-skilled positions, but also believed that companies operating in sectors such as construction, manufacturing and hospitality Americans facing shortages should focus on raising wages and increasing efforts to recruit the unemployed, even if that led to higher consumer prices. Only 24 percent of respondents supported hiring foreign workers to keep costs down.

What people say

Erin B. Corcoran, associate teaching professor at the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, shared Newsweek: “The new administration has made comments proposing a significant tightening of existing visa programs, including student visas and H-1B (high-skilled worker visas).

“These comments have caused great concern among higher education institutions, particularly international students and faculty who are here on student visas or H-1B visas.”

Musk wrote on Xformerly Twitter, on December 27th: “The reason I am in America, along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that have made America strong, is H1B… I will wage a war on this issue that you cannot possibly fight can experience.” understand.”

Trump said this New York Post in a telephone interview on Saturday: “I always liked the (H-1B) visas, I was always in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them… I have a lot of H-1B visas for my properties. I believed in H.” -1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.

Representative Tim Burchett, ret Tennessee Republican, wrote on Sunday on X: “I stand with President Trump on the H-1B visa issue, but every single person who comes through must be rigorously vetted and ready to fully accept the United States.”

What happens next

The president-elect, who campaigned on tough immigration policies, is expected to return to the White House on January 20. As Trump and Republicans grapple with internal pressure over H-1B visas, their next moves could determine the direction The Republican Party is taking a stand on the program.