H1B Reform Divides House GOP, Draws Democratic Optimism
Plus, MTG slams woke-right Internet trolls.
WASHINGTON — H1B reform made national news over the holidays when Elon Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to advocate for relief for migrants employed under the visa category. Musk’s support for H1B migrants caused a political divide among members of Donald Trump’s transition team — most notably, Stephen Miller.
We analyzed the MAGA infighting last week in Migrant Insider, concluding that if Trump and Musk are serious, bipartisan H1B reform could be possible. We also began asking members of Congress where they stand on reform.
“I think there’s a good possibility somebody like Elon Musk talking to the president may be able to move the needle a little bit,” said Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) when asked about H1B reform under Trump. “I think there are cracks in that monolith that’s anti-immigrant because we need the workers. It’s not about immigrants. It’s about America.”
“If it’s clean, and it really is about helping people, then I’m going to be for it,” said Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) about a potential H1B reform package under Trump. However, Garcia said she would oppose reform tied to “poison pill” enforcement policies like a border wall.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) pushed back on Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) recent critique of the H1B program. “I support people who are on H1B visas,” he Subramanyam, adding:. “There are a lot of H1B visa holders in our district, and we want to make sure that they have a path to citizenship.”
Some House Republicans also expressed support for H1B reforms. “I think we actually need to push for a lot of immigration reform on all fronts, and that would be one of them,” said Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), adding that attracting the “best and brightest” workers from abroad “has always been a part of America.”
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said he would not support H1B reform until “we secure our border” — a nebulous and largely meaningless political phrase many lawmakers use to avoid supporting relief policies.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) had a different benchmark in mind: “Well, actually, I think we need to clarify if these people are going to be loyal to this country. I think that’s the most imperative thing in this whole deal,” he told Migrant Insider when asked about H1B reform.
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One Republican who chose not to comment: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who rarely misses an opportunity to talk to the press about immigration. “I’m doing personal things right now,” she said when asked whether she supports Musk or Sanders on H1B reform.
Greene had backed Musk during the Twitter debate over the holidays. “Having owned a construction company for decades (yes, I’m that old), I know firsthand our workforce issues,” she tweeted. In what appeared to be her first somewhat sympathetic statement about migrants during her congressional career, she criticized some in the MAGA movement:
“There are some big MAGA voices with large social media platforms throwing down their opinions, yet they have never run a company that relies on thousands of skilled, highly trained workers with a constant need for reliable labor, yet they claim authority over the subject matter. […] Too many of our young people are killing their bodies and minds on alcohol and drugs, wasting years and money earning useless college degrees, chasing unrealistic dreams, and spending all their time trying to be the next YouTuber, content creator, or social media influencer instead of pursuing a useful skill set, trade, or education in order to become a part of our much-needed American workforce. If you fall into this category, put down the selfie light, and go apply for a job to replace the H1B visa holders and all the other skilled labor jobs that foreign workers are taking and American companies are desperately trying to fill. It’s called building a career: you work your way up,” Greene tweeted on December 27.
MTG’s tweet went largely unnoticed — partly because it was posted two days after Christmas, when many were still on holiday, and partly because it doesn’t fit the existing political narratives about how immigration is covered in mainstream media. We bring it up again here because it signals a potential shift from the acrid campaign politics of 2024 to the realities of governing with a GOP trifecta in the new term.
After today, when the votes are counted and the election certified, Republicans will no longer be able to credibly blame Democrats for much. If prices rise on proverbial Main Street — almost certainly a residual impact of the anti-immigrant policies Trump has proposed — Republicans may pay the price during the midterm elections twenty months from now.