Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

H-1B Visas, Cultural Failures, Weapons of Economic War

H-1B Visas, Cultural Failures, Weapons of Economic War

Illustrative picture showing application for USA H1B visa

Getty Images//Stock Photo

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy both came out recently in favor of expanding the H-1B visa program. This program allows large corporations to claim they cannot find adequate skilled talent (engineers for example) and sponsor a foreign worker to enter the United States to fill the required role.

The program itself is rife with abuse and inevitably and negatively affects American citizens by adding to the supply of talent and inevitably decreasing the price of such talent (wages).


Some disagree with Musk and Ramaswamy. Many identify as MAGA and argue that it is counter to Trump's desire to limit immigration. Yet Trump himself has said he supports the H-1B program. He has also recently said that foreign students graduating from American universities should automatically qualify for a Green Card (permanent residency). This would allow them to work without needing a visa and put them on the path to naturalized citizenship.

Ramaswamy included commentary on American cultural failings in not producing enough home-grown talent. Musk used a sports metaphor to argue that bringing in foreign talent was necessary to keep the U.S. on top economically. While these arguments have elements of truth, they also fail to consider some key points.

For some context on this opinion, I wrote early in 2024 that we should stop all immigration for an extended period, including H-1B visas, while we fixed the mess we were currently in, and have a national debate about how immigration should be handled going forward. I stand by that opinion, as well as my suggestion for a kinder and gentler mass deportation. While I am pro-immigrant, I believe these steps are necessary for a cultural and policy reset. As beneficial as immigration has been to our shared history, our current policy is polarizing us from many directions while failing to make America better.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Ramaswamy’s commentary on cultural failings is not wrong though they could also be defined as educational shortcomings. That is on us as parents (and grandparents), and our political and business leaders to fix. The H-1B program not only ignores those problems but gives us a seemingly cheap way out to avoid fixing them.

I have low expectations that politicians or our universities will fix this problem. However, I have high expectations that big business could fix the problem if the H-1B program were unavailable. Simplistically speaking, they could hire young technology interns, give them on-the-job training, sponsor their advanced education, and meritoriously promote and pay the best.

Musk meanwhile decided to clarify his position, stating that he only wanted to bring in the top 0.1% of talent from foreign countries. However, these arguments assume that economics is a zero-sum competition between nations. In his world, H-1B becomes a weapon of economic war in our effort to stay on top.

Essentially, Musk is suggesting we use H-1B not just to advance our economy but to debilitate other countries in their effort to advance their economies. And in doing so we inevitably hurt ourselves.

What happens when other nations (especially so-called third-world nations) advance economically and educationally? Does it cause us damage? On the contrary, in a free trade environment, when other nations become stronger economically, they become bigger markets for American-made goods and services. They also provide quality, cost-effective goods and services to Americans. And robust economies create a more cooperative and peaceful world. Buying and selling with each other is more advantageous than waging actual war.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a died-in-the-wool capitalist (actually a “free-marketist” but that is a subject for another day). I believe competition between market participants is good. And yes, it often results in creative destruction when some firms fail while others are born. But the competition should be among those market participants and not among nations.

Let’s not wage economic warfare to paper over our internal problems. Put the H-1B program on ice and fix those problems instead.

David Butler is a husband, father, grandfather, business executive, entrepreneur, and political observer.

Read More

Dictionary definition of tariff
Would replacing the income tax with higher tariffs help ‘struggling Americans’?
Devonyu/Getty Images

Could Trump’s tariffs have unintended consequences that hurt America?

The first few weeks of the Trump administration have been head-spinning. President Trump and his team were well-prepared to launch their policy agenda, signing over 50 executive orders, the most in a president's first month in more than 40 years. A major focus has been economic policy, first with immigration raids, which were quickly followed by announcements of tariffs on imports from America’s biggest trade partners.

The tariff announcements have followed a meandering and confusing course. President Trump announced the first tariffs on February 1, but within 24 hours, he suspended the tariffs on Mexico and Canada in favor of “negotiations.” Mexico and Canada agreed to enforce their borders better to stop migrants and fentanyl imports, which the Trump administration called a victory. Despite the triumphalist rhetoric, the enforcement measures were substantially the same as what both countries were already planning to do.

Keep ReadingShow less
From Silicon Valley to Capitol Hill: The Ascendancy of Indian Americans

The flag of India.

Canva Images

From Silicon Valley to Capitol Hill: The Ascendancy of Indian Americans

In the intricate landscape of global geopolitics, the ascendancy of Indian Americans stands as a quiet yet transformative force—a phenomenon that demands serious consideration. While traditional paradigms of power focus on military might or economic clout, the strategic leverage wielded by this diaspora is rewriting the rules of global influence. India’s economic trajectory reflects its ambitions on the global stage. Contributing 4% to global GDP today, the nation is poised to become the world’s third $10 trillion economy within two decades. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts India will account for 18% of total global growth by decade’s end, a rise that challenges established economic hierarchies.

Trade data between India and the United States reflects the growing interdependence: In 2020, U.S. imports to India stood at $51.3 billion. This figure grew to $80.1 billion in 2024, alongside a trade deficit swelling from $24.2 billion to $41.5 billion. This trade expansion is mirrored by Indian-American professionals dominating key sectors of the U.S. economy. With a median household income of $119,000, Indian Americans outperform national averages and hold influential roles across corporate and governmental institutions. CEOs of global giants like Microsoft, Google, and Citibank exemplify this trend, along with leadership roles in companies like Apple, Intel, and Dell.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tariffs: Not a tax, and not free money

United States trade cargo container hanging against clouds background

Getty Images//Iskandar Zulkarnean

Tariffs: Not a tax, and not free money

During the recent election season, there was much talk of Trump’s plan to lay tariffs on the importation of foreign goods. Pundits, politicians, and journalists to the left of center consistently referred to them as a tax on the American people. Many of those to the right of center, especially those of the MAGA contingent, seemed to imply they are a pain-free way for the federal government to raise money.

Some correctly said that the country essentially ran on tariffs in its early history. Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary and arguably the godfather of our initial financial system, successfully proposed and implemented a tariff system with two goals in mind. Fund the young American government and protect young American businesses against competition from established foreign companies. The second bill signed by President George Washington was a broad tariff bill.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump and Elon Musk

President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk sit ringside at a UFC fight in November.

Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Elon takes on Washington, but can he take it over?

Watching the year-end budget fights in Congress as we await the second term of President-elect Donald Trump, I find myself wondering: Will this era be remembered as the time when Trump was president and Elon Musk ran the country?

Trump earned such nicknames as “Captain Chaos” and worse for his unpredictable, constantly changing and easily distracted approach to governing. But close observers of Trump’s political ups and downs understand a key to understanding the chaos: his mountainous self-regard.

Keep ReadingShow less