Shutdown watch: Musk barrages GOP to blow up "criminal" spending deal
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Elon Musk and his son are seen in the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 5. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Elon Musk, one of President-elect Trump's closest allies, railed against the bill to avert a looming government shutdown Wednesday, calling on lawmakers to strike down the stopgap measure in a series of tweets.
Why it matters: Musk's discontent is another pressure point on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as the Tesla CEO's influence has grown among MAGA-minded lawmakers.
- Musk — who will co-chair Trump's newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — could sway key GOP votes against the stopgap measure as Republican leadership tries to keep the deal afloat.
- In his tweets, Musk lashed out against several measures in the 1,500-plus page continuing resolution, including the first pay raise for members of Congress since 2009. He also advocated for lawmakers to pass no bills until Trump takes office.
Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance added fuel to the fire by publicly condemning the bill, saying in a statement that the GOP should call the Democrats' bluff and allow the government to shut down.
- They also railed against a proposed pay raise for Congress included in the bill "while many Americans are struggling this Christmas" and expressed support for pairing the spending bill with an increase to the debt ceiling.
- Several Republican lawmakers have already railed against the bill, arguing they had little time to review the measure before the Friday deadline.
Driving the news: Any member who votes in favor of the bill, which needs to pass before the Dec. 20 deadline to keep the government funded, should be voted out of office, Musk wrote, repeatedly characterizing it as "criminal."
- "Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?" the richest man in the world wrote on X to his over 207 million followers.
What they're saying: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in an interview on Fox & Friends Wednesday that he spoke with Musk and his DOGE counterpart, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tuesday night.
- He said they expressed to him that they understand his "impossible position."
- Johnson continued, "They said, 'This is not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don't like the spending.' I said, guess what fellas, I don't either."
- Musk, in his series of Wednesday grievances against the legislation, quote-tweeted a post that read, "Johnson should be ashamed of himself. This is indefensible." He added, "This bill is terrible."
- Ramaswamy also rejected the bill, writing on X Wednesday, "If Congress wants to get serious about government efficiency, they should VOTE NO."
Catch up quick: Congressional leaders unveiled the bill's text Tuesday, kicking off a push to pass it by the end of the week to keep the government funded until mid-March.
- Johnson is again facing heat from conservative GOP House members, as he did when the government faced and avoided a shutdown in September.
The bottom line: The bill includes priorities for both Democrats and Republicans — but that doesn't guarantee passage.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with Trump and Vance's response to the spending bill.
Go deeper: Winners and losers from the 3-month CR
Editor's note: The story has been updated with comment from Trump and Vance.
