Trump now backs H-1B visa program favored by Elon Musk

President-elect Donald Trump told the New York Post on Saturday that he favors the H-1B visa program to bring in highly skilled technical workers that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says is necessary for American companies to have the technical talent they need.

“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump said, adding that he has used workers with the visas at his properties.

But in his previous administration, Trump restricted the visas as part of his overall immigration policy.

The statement has drawn backlash from some Republicans, such as Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), who said the visa program is being abused by companies to get cheaper foreign labor.

"I think the abuses of the H-1B program have been evident, where you have sort of the sons and daughters of those factory workers who lost their jobs, got white collar jobs as accountants, and they're, you know, training their replacements, the foreign workers who are undercutting their wages," he told Fox News.

He hopes Trump will reform the program and get rid of the abuses so that it can function better and not hurt American workers.