The H-1b visa program is a total and complete scam concocted by the Lords of easy Money on Wall Street and the oligarchs in Silicon Valley. The citizens in this country are what provided the platform [00:00:15] for you nerds even to exist. We're not going to take the temperature down. We're not going to take the temperature down. Oh no, oh no, oh no, we do not. It's no backing down. It's doubling down. Well, now the big question is how will Steve Bannon respond to Donald Trump? [00:00:31] Because Donald Trump has weighed in on this giant debate within the MAGA base in regard to H-1b visas. These are work visas for high skilled foreign workers that are typically hired by tech companies. [00:00:46] Silicon Valley has taken a lot of advantage of that program. And so in speaking with the New York Post, Donald Trump said, I have many H-1b visas on my properties. I have been a believer in H-1b. [00:01:02] I have used it many times. It's a great program. Now, to be clear, Trump is confusing the visas that he utilizes in hiring workers for his properties. He's using a different type of visa entirely. I'll explain what that is in just a minute. [00:01:18] But the debate right now centers on H-1b visas, which focus on high skilled workers who are typically hired as engineers or to work in it in Silicon Valley, these are people who have specialized skills. The types of foreign workers that Donald Trump hires for his properties [00:01:36] are typically those who have H-2b and H-2a visas. And those are for, you know, unskilled labor, right? Agricultural workers and, you know, low skilled workers to do, you know, work on [00:01:52] Mar-A-Lago and other properties like that. I'll get I'll get more specific about that in just a minute. But it's really interesting to see how this is playing out Jake, because, you know, famously, Donald Trump has been anti-immigrant, but he has always kind of had that caveat of wanting to bring in immigrants [00:02:10] who are high skilled and who he feels are going to contribute to American society. And I remember in his first term he had a conversation with Steve Bannon about it. And Steve Bannon is anti-immigration, period. He's a hardliner. That's what you heard in the compilation clip in the beginning. [00:02:26] And so that that debate just kind of went away in the first term. But now it's back because Elon Musk has the president elect's ear, and he has benefited from foreign workers coming in and working at Tesla and things like that. [00:02:43] There are problems with the H-1b visa program. We'll get to that in just a minute. But I'm curious what you think about this internal disagreement. So I think this is absolutely critical, and it has very little to do with the H-1b visas. It has to do with this internal civil war and whoever wins that, and it might [00:03:01] be messy, and it might not be that one side wins definitively for four years. It might rock back and forth. We'll see how it plays out. But that's the major story here. The fact that Steve Bannon and Elon Musk are in an all out brawl, and Trump has to figure out who to side with, is an amazing story. [00:03:17] And and the fact that it's not absolutely clear which one is right, that they might be both be right and wrong in different ways is also interesting. It is. It is because politics used to be so simple, right? The Republicans say this. The Democrats say that they're both fake. [00:03:33] It's good cop, bad cop. And at the end they give the tax cuts to the rich. Right? That's how it works 98% of the time. Now the talking points are out the window and there's people fighting on the right and the left against each other, etc.. So along those lines, but I want to come back to H-1b visas just to give [00:03:50] you the context of this particular fight. So that's for engineers and and but not extraordinary. That's a different visa for like extraordinary people that are actors, singers, etc., right. Or athletes. So then you've got the h-2b that is for more blue collar workers and H-2a, which [00:04:08] is just strictly for agricultural workers. Right. H-2a is the only one that's unlimited because keeping it real, Americans are not doing those jobs. And we need those folks to come in and do those jobs. Everybody kind of agrees to that at a minimum, secretly agrees to that. [00:04:24] But the other two are capped. And the question is, you know, do you have a lot of them, some of them or none of them? So when Trump talks about the H-1b visas in the past, he was in the first term, he was definitely against. And now he says, oh, I use them all the time. That's not true. [00:04:39] He had about a dozen applications, but then withdrew them. He mainly used the H-2b visa for waiters. Yeah. Let me let me get to those details because no, you're wrong. Actually, he was making a case in favor of H-1b visas, and Bannon disagreed with him in the first term. [00:04:54] And then that debate just kind of went away. Yeah, it's I. It's mixed. Yeah. - I don't know if. - Maybe Bannon. Temporarily persuaded him to be against H-1b visas, but I distinctly remember how Trump was, like opening up about like, oh, no, but we [00:05:11] want the skilled workers to come in. Yeah. Yeah. I know what you're remembering. It was literally an interview he did with Steve Bannon, I think, on his Sirius Satellite radio show. And Steve Bannon said, we don't want these guys coming in from India and China. I do remember that. Yeah. Executives in Silicon Valley, and that's where Trump did the right thing. And he was like, yeah, no. What difference does it make? [00:05:28] As long as they're, you know, rich and they're good, good at what they do, etc.. Right. But technically he was against H-1b visas in his first term. - Okay. - All right. So let's get to some more specific details here. So look. The skilled worker program that offers the H-1b visas currently has a cap of [00:05:45] 65,000 per year, a number that technology companies have pushed to increase. So the tech CEOs want to lift that cap because let's keep it real. It helps them save on labor costs. This does drive down wages for American workers in this line of work. [00:06:04] There's no question about that. Lee Fong wrote an excellent piece about very specific companies in Silicon Valley that have really abused this system, to the detriment of American workers. So I do think that some who are against the H-1b visas [00:06:19] are making a decent point about that. But I also think that we can keep the program while reforming it, because I also think that there might be some instances where we don't have enough American workers for certain specialized jobs. Right? It really depends. I do think Americans should be considered first for these jobs, [00:06:36] but there is evidence to indicate that that has not been the case. And I'll give you that evidence in a minute. But then you go to the H-2b visas, which are for nonagricultural unskilled labor. Trump's businesses do benefit from this the most. They're capped at 66,000 per year. [00:06:52] And finally, there's the H-2a visas, which are for agricultural workers. And those do not have any caps. So from 2003 to 2017, Trump's companies were approved for more than 1000 H2 visas for jobs like cooks, housekeepers, [00:07:09] waiters at his properties, including Mar-A-Lago and Palm Beach, Florida, and the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. And then in each instance, the companies have to attest that there's just no American citizen that can perform this job, which I find difficult to believe when it comes to the Mar-A-Lago [00:07:27] and, you know, the golf club jobs. And then there's the agricultural jobs, right? Currently, Trump's winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, is seeking 31 foreign vineyard farm workers under the H-2a program, offering them $15.81 per hour. [00:07:44] So hours before Donald Trump said that he is siding with Elon Musk and he's in favor of these visas. Steve Bannon had actually just done his show and he was attacking Elon Musk for wanting to not only protect the program but also lift the cap. [00:08:01] And so, to Elon Musk's credit, he's also open to reforming the system for its flaws and abuses. So I want to mention that as well. But Bannon wants none of it. And so this is what he said on his show in response to Elon Musk, just hours before Trump weighed in on it. [00:08:18] This is Elon Musk. 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 H-1b. Take a big step back and F yourself all [00:08:33] caps in the face, F yourself in the face. I will go to war on this issue, the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend. Oh yeah, tough guy, that you're going to go to war on the likes of which [00:08:48] you cannot possibly comprehend. You're you're you're a man child. The H-1b visa program is a total and complete scam concocted by the Lords of Easy Money on Wall Street and the oligarchs in Silicon Valley to both [00:09:06] initially to just increase profit margins. But there's a darker element to it today a contempt of America and American citizens, and we're not going to tolerate it. You need to honor this country, and you need to honor [00:09:22] the citizens in this country. The citizens in this country are what provided the platform for you nerds even to exist. Because in the predatory nature, the Darwinian environment of the world as it is, you would have already been crushed and destroyed. [00:09:41] So there are clearly different camps within Donald Trump's base. And you have the hardliners like Steve Bannon. Like, I think that there are good people who are concerned about American jobs, right? I don't think that those people fall in the same category as Steve Bannon, [00:09:59] who seems to be more in favor of creating like some sort of ethno state type of situation. So I don't want the good people who have real, legitimate concerns about the H-1b visa program to be lumped in with the Steve Bannon's. Then you have the Elon Musks, who I think are more representative [00:10:17] of big business and Silicon Valley, and they absolutely have taken advantage of this program to maximize their profits. So, for instance, let's focus on Tesla for a second. Tesla is relying heavily on these workers. So Tesla has obtained 724 H-1b visas this year alone. [00:10:37] And so yeah, if you're benefiting from it and if you're able to pay these foreign workers a little less and also take advantage of them working like workhorses, then yeah, you're going to want to protect that program and you're going to want to lift that cap. But oftentimes this is happening to the detriment of American workers. [00:10:56] And that's what I was referring to in regard to Lee Fong's reporting. So just to give you a quick example, he writes that Google, Amazon and Microsoft all rely on a funnel of such workers. Meta is classified as H-1b dependent over [00:11:12] its unusually high foreign visa workforce. And as layoffs hit Silicon Valley last year, the tech industry ramped up applications to bring in even more foreign personnel. So they're literally laying off American workers and replacing them [00:11:27] with the foreign workers. And so that's where some of the resentment is coming from and where some of the concern is coming from. And I don't want to discount that because it does drive wages down, even for people who went to college, probably put themselves themselves in a tremendous amount of debt [00:11:46] and then are unable to find jobs in Silicon Valley despite the education that they went out and pursued. Yeah. So this story is so interesting because they're both half right and half wrong. Steve Bannon and Elon Musk and where those halves fall are going to be determinative. [00:12:03] So Steve Bannon is against all immigrants. And and he even makes it racial. So does Laura Loomer. And in a minute we're going to I don't know about Anna. I'm going to agree with Laura Loomer. Disagree. Okay. All right. So hold on. [00:12:19] We're going to show you that video, and I'm going to tell you why. Okay. So we we don't agree with Laura Loomer and and Steve Bannon on their rhetoric, anti-immigrant, stance. - Racism. - Their rhetoric, their racism. Then when they specifically talk about other races and say they [00:12:38] don't want them here, it doesn't. I mean, that's like the definition of racism. This is not like, hey, there's something wrong with our institutions. So I'm calling everyone in the country a white supremacist. No, they specifically will say we don't want Indians in the country. That's the definition of racism. Okay. So now, on the other hand, when they talk about, [00:12:57] hey, we need to protect American workers. And sometimes these companies and their corporate executives and the donor class aren't interested in doing the right policy for America. They're interested in doing the right policy for Tesla or SpaceX or their individual companies. They are correct about that. [00:13:13] And the fact that they are telling right wing voters in this battle, remember, watch out for the donor class. Watch out for the corporate executives. True. True. Yeah. Is really important. So as much as I loathe Bannon and Loomer on those things that I have every right to loathe them on, it is super interesting and important. [00:13:32] And yes, I'm going to say it positive that they are saying, watch out for the donor class. Watch out for corporate rule. I mean, Steve Bannon the other day said we need to increase corporate taxes dramatically. We need to raise taxes on the rich. And those folks need to to help pay for the things [00:13:50] that that helps the average American. I mean, that is what we've been saying for 20, 25 years. And so what I'm going to I'm not going to do this silly thing that that the left has done for a long time. A person has said one bad thing, even if it's like nuclear bad or a couple [00:14:08] of bad things or whatever. That's it. I won't take yes for an answer. I'll just dismiss them out of hand and say, there's nothing. I'm going to close my mind and I'm not even going to think about it, and I'm not going to do nuance, and I'm not going to try to do an interesting strategy where we go, you're right on the corporate executives and corporate rule. [00:14:26] You're terribly wrong on race, right? And separate out social and economic issues. Now, when you get to Elon Musk, he's right that what are you guys doing talking about how Indians or this and that or Muslims, he's. Offended by the racist rhetoric and he should be I mean, some of Laura Loomer's see, look, [00:14:42] I don't know what you are specifically referring to that you agree with, with Laura Loomer, so I'll wait to watch the video. However, her tweets, some of her tweets were some of the most disgusting tweets I've read on on X, and that's saying something and that's saying something. Okay. Yeah 100%. But so when you go to the H-1b visas before we go to the tape, [00:15:00] a really interesting, thoughtful critique of them is from David Sirota, who's a great progressive, right. And Sirota talks about, hey, look, they're using these not because they really can't find any engineers in America. It's just that they don't want to pay the engineers the prices that they [00:15:17] would have to pay the salaries they would have to pay them under normal conditions. So they bring in guys to work at half the rates. And so this is just another form of corruption. And so my guess on H-1b visas is the answer is somewhere in between that H-1b visas can be used appropriately and can be amazing and wonderful and bring in some [00:15:36] top talent from across the world here, which I think is great and strengthens us. But we need to be careful that it's not abused by corporations so that it drives our wages lower, including for engineers. Right? But nobody's having that nuanced conversation. So at the end of the day, Trump just goes, Elon or Bannon, Elon or Bannon. [00:15:55] Oh, Elon's got way more money Elon. And he chose Elon and said H-1b visas are great when that was not his earlier position. And he uses H-2b visas not H-1b visas. So that is inaccurate. - So we got the Laura Loomer media clip. - Yeah. So let's watch. [00:16:10] What we need to have a conversation about is what is it going to mean for the future of our country, our national security and the incoming Trump administration? If we have a bunch of technocrats who are also essentially welfare queens because their companies are receiving government subsidies and they want [00:16:29] to take over our defense industry. If you have a bunch of tech bros with billions of dollars and direct unfettered access to the vice president and the president of the United States, and then they are also, you know, very cordial with our adversaries, as in China and Iran. [00:16:45] We've seen that Elon Musk is having these meetings off the books with Iranian officials, with Chinese officials. What does that mean for us and the future of our constitutional republic? Okay. I mean, it it bothers me to say it, but almost everything she said there was totally right. [00:17:01] So they are getting government subsidies. Elon's companies get enormous government subsidies. They are looking for breaks for their own companies. They do care about making separate deals with China, Iran and everyone else because a ton of their money, billions and billions of dollars are tied up in China. [00:17:16] That is their interest, not the American interest. Those are two different things. And when she called those corporate executives and the corporations themselves welfare queens, something I've called them for a long time, and people caught feelings over it. They are welfare queens. The oil companies take $30 billion in subsidies [00:17:33] and rob us blind every single year. What she said about the Pentagon was right. Now, for those of people who think, well, no, Laura Loomer is is unacceptable. You can't ever say she's right. Even if she says the sky is blue and the grass is green. She has said the worst possible things about Muslims. [00:17:49] I'm Muslim, so I get it, I get it. She's terribly wrong on race, right? But at the same time, you you have significant portions of MAGA that are now saying corporate rule sucks. And I'm tired of taking my taxpayer money and giving it to these executives [00:18:06] and to these companies. And let's make sure we're careful about the donor class, even ones next to Donald Trump. That is an excellent development. Excellent. They are thinking for themselves. They are looking out for corruption even among Trump's donors. [00:18:22] So even if I disagree with them on the H-1b visa, the fact that this rebellion is happening in the Civil War is happening is wonderful news. Not because, oh, it's going to destroy the Republican Party, which is what Rachel Maddow is going to say. Right? But because it's actually showing you that they're thinking for themselves, [00:18:38] and we might be able to have the most untraditional alliances you have ever seen to actually fight against corporate rule, issue. - By issue. - Issue by issue. Exactly. So, yeah, I mean, I agree in that clip what she said was correct. And I will also commend them for engaging in a debate [00:18:55] on the substance of this program. Right. I think it's important to find solutions. I don't want to get rid of the H-1b visa program, but I do think it needs to be reformed because there is evidence that it's being abused to the detriment of American workers. And I think it's important to protect American workers, especially when they've [00:19:12] done what they're supposed to do. They went to school, they took out the student loan debt, and now they're unable to find a job in Silicon Valley because foreign workers are being brought in to maximize profits for these companies. Thanks for watching The Young Turks really appreciate it. [00:19:27] Another way to show support is through YouTube memberships. You'll get to interact with us more. There's live chat emojis, badges. You've got emojis of me Anna John Jr. So those are super fun. But you also get playback of our exclusive member only shows [00:19:45] and specials right after they air. So all of that, all you got to do is click that join button right underneath the video. Thank you.