Last Updated on January 3, 2025
Steve Bannon said on Gettr earlier this week that the number one goal of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should be to eliminate the H-1B visa program completely, while Musk and Ramaswamy argued that Americans aren’t smart enough to fill technology roles at large companies.
Bannon took his position a step further, saying that H-1B holders should deported immediately.
He then went on to suggest that American citizens should be prioritized for job opportunities currently filled by H-1B visa holders. Additionally, he called for companies to have a conversation about providing compensation to American workers who have been displaced by foreign labor visa programs.
Over the past two weeks, a battle has raged between the political right and billionaire Musk along with his DOGE counterpart Ramaswamy.
On December 26th, Ramaswamy sparked controversy by stating that American children are encouraged to strive for average performance while their foreign-born peers are better prepared for technical roles in the IT and engineering sectors in the United States.
Ramaswamy further elaborated on this point by expressing his belief that American society has placed more value on average achievements rather than excellence, a trend that has been ongoing since at least the 1990s. He emphasized that this mindset is not cultivated in higher education but instead originates from a young age. He criticized a culture that prioritizes popularity and athletic achievements over academic success, arguing that such a culture will not produce top-tier engineers.
He went on to blame sitcoms like “Friends” and “Boy Meets World” for the decline of American work culture.
“‘Normalcy’ doesn’t cut it in a hyper-competitive global market for technical talent. And if we pretend like it does, we’ll have our asses handed to us by China,” said.
Ramaswamy’s post sparked immediate backlash that has lasted weeks.
“Turns out the ‘waste’ that DOGE wanted to cut from America was Americans,” said Auron MacIntyre.
“The Woodstock generation managed to build out aerospace, the one before went to the moon, America was doing great,” said centrist Mike Cernovich. “Underlying your post is that we were all living in squalor until being rescued by H-1B’s. Then why did everyone want to come here?”
Musk later came to Ramaswamy’s defense, telling Americans to “FUCK YOURSELF in the face,” and saying that he would go to war protecting foreign workers in America. 
Ordinary Americans slammed Musk and Ramaswamy.
“I think a guy whose grandpa fought in WW2 should get priority when it comes to access to the American job market over someone who has never set foot in this country,” said popular X personality @plzbepatient.
The battle continues to rage on X.
