The recent social media clash between Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and Trump supporters over highly skilled immigration reform has exposed deep ideological fissures within the Republican coalition. But the importance of the debate over immigration policy and the American education system extends far beyond social media. Addressing these issues is critical to America’s competitiveness.
By combining practical immigration reform, bold investments in education, and innovative AI-based learning, we can build a much-needed “talent advantage” agenda.
Human capital is central to U.S. competitiveness, especially in key areas such as AI and quantum computing. As the global environment evolves, it is not just technological assets or financial resources that determine a country’s status. It will be the skills, creativity and professionalism of our employees. The United States must combine high-skill immigration reform with a new commitment to strengthening the domestic talent pipeline to ensure a workforce equipped to pioneer new ideas, leverage these innovations, and face unprecedented challenges. A “everything” approach is needed.
Highly skilled immigration is essential to that strategy. Immigrants make up 16% of U.S. inventors, but drive 23% of innovation output through patents, citations, and economic impact. They also founded or co-founded nearly two-thirds of the nation’s top AI companies, and census data shows that immigrant-owned businesses are more likely to develop new products and invest in research and development.
The urgency for high-skill immigration reform is clear and enjoys broad bipartisan support, with 71% of Donald Trump voters and 87% of Kamala Harris voters supporting admitting more high-skilled immigrants. This widespread appeal stems not only from economic benefits but also from national security. A recent report to Congress on U.S.-China relations emphasizes that winning the global competition for talent is essential to maintaining America’s competitiveness.
Attracting global talent is essential, but the United States cannot ignore its domestic talent pipeline. Overreliance on high-skilled immigrants has obscured the urgent need to address cracks in our education and workforce systems, particularly in the so-called “STEM” fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The foundation of a strong talent pipeline begins in elementary and secondary schools. But recent national assessments paint a grim picture. The disruption caused by pandemic-era school closures has wiped out two decades of progress in mathematics. Today, only 36% of fourth graders and 26% of eighth graders score proficient or higher in math. America cannot lead the future in AI and other technologies if our students do not master basic math.
President-elect Trump now has the opportunity to advance a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes STEM education and workforce training to give American workers the skills they need to dominate key industries like artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, and advanced robotics.
The best way to put “America First” is to put our students first. Trump should convene a bipartisan summit of governors and business leaders to focus attention and strategy on how to jump-start the stalled academic recovery. The most important education reforms for our country are best achieved through national leadership. Through academic accountability, personalized tutoring, expanded parental choice, and a rigorous curriculum, states can reverse learning loss and restore confidence in American education.
Part of this effort should include encouraging governors to provide counseling, financial incentives, and flexible learning formats to the 36.8 million Americans who enroll in college but do not earn a degree or certificate. This is not simply a waste of taxpayer investment. This represents enormous untapped human potential that can be mobilized to strengthen the economy and workforce.
Meanwhile, if the system were modernized, it could fill urgent talent gaps in STEM fields by welcoming high-skilled immigrants. Current H-1B rules penalize companies with large numbers of visa holders unless they pay at least $60,000. This is an old standard set in 1998. The solution is to raise the minimum with automatic adjustment for inflation, as proposed by Elon Musk and the Institute for Progress. This will ensure that H-1Bs are used for high-value work and discourage companies from relying on H-1Bs to outsource work. It would also generate more than $11 billion in additional payroll taxes over 10 years at no cost to taxpayers, money that could be used to support the education and training of Americans.
Trump is also right to want to grant permanent residency to foreign graduates of American universities. It defies logic to train talented individuals and force them to acquire their skills elsewhere, which often compete with American companies. Instead, we must leverage these talents to strengthen the American workforce and drive domestic innovation.
Now is the time to challenge America’s leading AI companies to drive groundbreaking innovation to strengthen their talent pipeline. AI has tremendous potential to act as a personal tutor, accelerating student learning, guiding high school students’ college and career decisions, and opening new paths to success.
Together, these policies put American workers and industries first by reducing dependence on foreign supply chains for human capital, strengthening national security, and establishing America as a leader in advanced technology while fostering a stronger, more competitive economy. You will do it.
America’s true competitiveness lies in its people. If we don’t act, today’s political conflict will become tomorrow’s lost opportunity. America cannot afford that.
John Bailey is a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, focusing on education and technology. He serves as a member of the Virginia AI Task Force for Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) and regularly briefs members of Congress, state policymakers, and business leaders on the impact and potential of AI.
