Republicans scrap spending bill after pressure campaign from Elon Musk
Republicans scrapped a spending bill that would’ve funded the government until mid-March.
Congressional Republicans scrapped a last-minute spending bill that would have kept the government funded through mid-March after a pressure campaign from Elon Musk.
CNN and The Washington Post earlier reported the bill had been killed.
Earlier on Wednesday, Musk wrote in an X post: “Your elected representatives have heard you, and now the terrible bill is dead. The voice of the people has triumphed!”
The bipartisan bill was backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had said he spoke Tuesday with Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy about their criticisms of the bill. Musk and Ramaswamy are set to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, which is intended to serve as an advisory group to the Trump administration focused on cutting government spending.
In a post on X, Musk endorsed the idea of shutting down the government until January 20, the day of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Shortly after Musk’s post, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance issued a statement calling on Republicans to renegotiate the bill.
Trump threatened Republican lawmakers, saying those who failed to fall in line would face political consequences.
“If Republicans try to pass a clean Continuing Resolution without all of the Democrat ‘bells and whistles’ that will be so destructive to our Country, all it will do, after January 20th, is bring the mess of the Debt Limit into the Trump Administration, rather than allowing it to take place in the Biden Administration,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried,” Trump added. “Everything should be done, and fully negotiated, prior to my taking Office on January 20th, 2025.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told CNN Republicans scrapped the bill after Trump came out against it.
The Biden administration subsequently accused Trump and Vance of “playing politics,” hurting “hardworking Americans,” and creating “instability” with the last-minute rejection of the legislation.
“Triggering a damaging government shutdown would hurt families who are gathering to meet with their loved ones and endanger the basic services Americans from veterans to Social Security recipients rely on,” Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said in a statement. “A deal is a deal. Republicans should keep their word.”
Some Democratic senators blamed Musk for the package falling apart, suggesting the billionaire already has an outsize influence on Congress’ ability to pass legislation.
Sen. Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat who lost his reelection bid, told CNN that Wednesday’s series of events was “bizarre, disturbing, and dangerous.”
“Just the fact they’re even talking about this because of a comment by one person that triggers this kind of result, it doesn’t bode well for the new Congress or the new administration,” he told the outlet.
