What’s New
Democrats and some Republicans are calling Elon Musk “president” after he led the charge against a Republican-backed government funding bill, possibly sending the government into shutdown over the holidays.
Lawmakers are lining up to attack Donald Trump and Musk after they came out against a short-term spending compromise orchestrated by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to keep the government open until the president-elect’s new term.
The spending bill would have included nearly $100 billion in aid for Americans hit by multiple national disasters, economic aid for farmers, a federal commitment to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and the criminalization of revenge porn.
But Johnson may now be forced to cut nearly $100 billion in aid from the bill after Trump and Musk blocked the measure.
″’Shutting down’ the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill,” Musk wrote in one of dozens of X posts railing against the continuing resolution.
In another post, Musk asserted that “no bills should be passed” by Congress until Trump takes office on January 20.
Later on Wednesday, Vice President-elect JD Vance released a joint statement from himself and Trump demanding a streamlined spending bill.
“Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling,” read the statement posted by Vance on X.
“Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” their statement read.
It wasn’t immediately clear how closely Trump and Musk were coordinating. But their opposition adds significant weight to the effort to tank the 1,547-page bill.
Lawmakers will now have until Friday to pass a spending bill. If no legislation is passed, the government will go into shutdown, possibly lasting over the holidays.
Amid the chaos in Washington, Democrats and a former Republican congressman are calling Elon Musk “president” in an attack that seemingly suggests that Trump may not be in control.
Newsweek has contacted Trump’s transition team for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The move by Musk highlights the significant role that he, an unelected official, may play in Trump’s administration as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He has already pledged to make $2 trillion in cuts to the federal budget.
It also shows the dilemma Trump may face between securing funding for his new agenda – which includes a mass deportation plan and tax cuts – and appealing to his MAGA base, who want to gut the federal government and slash budgets.
Meanwhile, a shutdown could have political implications for Trump, potentially hurting seniors and veterans who not only rely on government help, but also form a significant part of Trump’s base.
What to Know
The row on Capitol Hill also highlights the fractured relationship between Trump and Johnson, who he will have to rely on to roll out his agenda.
Johnson said on Wednesday morning that he had been texting overnight with Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy about the bill.
“They understand the situation. They said, ‘It’s not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending.’ I said, ‘Guess what, fellas, I don’t either,’” Johnson told Fox & Friends.
But “we’ve gotta get this done,” Johnson said he told Musk and Ramaswamy, because “by doing this, we are clearing the decks” for Trump to enact his agenda.
But Missouri GOP Senator Josh Hawley told CNN that Trump had been blindsided by Johnson. He said Trump is “not read into this … and he’s just learning about it … he’s just reading about it.”
Meanwhile, a source familiar with the president-elect’s thinking told CNBC News that Trump is “totally against” Johnson’s resolution.
For some, such tension is a sign of what’s to come. “Oh, this is the way it’s going to be next year,” outgoing Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell told his GOP colleague, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, as they passed in a Senate corridor on Wednesday, according to CNN.
The Republican majority in the House could already be in peril after Trump nominated several GOP Reps to his Cabinet. These include Matt Gaetz, who has already resigned after being picked for the role of attorney general, a position from which he later withdrew. Meanwhile, Representatives Mike Waltz of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York are in line for national security adviser and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, respectively. Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon has also been nominated to serve as labor secretary.
The Republicans are set to control the House in January’s new Congress with a slim five-seat majority of 220 to the Democrats‘ 215 seats, but passing legislation in the House requires a simple majority of 218 votes. If lawmakers are absent due to illness or other reasons, the majority threshold is lowered.
Amid the razor thin margins, Republican senators are reportedly concerned that a spending bill could stall in the House early in Trump’s new term and possibly shut down the government if Republicans and Democrats don’t agree to a continuing resolution now. Some remain hopeful that it can be passed before Christmas.
“It’s almost Christmas, it’s amazing what people might do to get home,” North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer told CNN. However, he remains doubtful that it is possible to raise the debt ceiling in only two days.
What People Are Saying
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said on X: “The US Congress this week came to an agreement to fund our government. Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected. Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk?
“This is oligarchy at work.”
Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger told CNN: “President Musk this morning made it clear – with all his vast government experience, which is basically, he became rich on the federal government – that he doesn’t want Republicans to pass this. And seemingly, Vice President Trump kind of backed him up at that point.
“And what it says about the politics is this is going to be a messy 4 years.”
He added that Trump wants the debt ceiling to go up so he can “blame the Democrats.” But he is hopeful that the government won’t shut down over Christmas.
“I don’t think they’ll shut the government down because ultimately they’ll want to get home for Christmas, they’ll do like a 1 month CR, pretending like that’s going to fix everything, but I think President Elon has made it clear what his agenda is going to be for the next 4 years.”
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal said on X: “It’s clear who’s in charge, and it’s not President-elect Donald Trump.
“Shadow President Elon Musk spent all day railing against Republicans’ CR, succeeded in killing the bill, and then Trump decided to follow his lead.”
Democratic Rep. Kevin Goldman told MSNBC: “It’s not Donald Trump asking for this. It’s very clearly President Elon Musk asking for this. The fact that Donald Trump has been completely awol during these negotiations, to the point where Elon Musk publicly tweets out his displeasure about this budget deal. All of a sudden, Donald Trump, chief of staff to Elon Musk comes trotting in and blows up the deal. And let’s be very clear, this means that what Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing is likely at this point to shut the government down over Christmas.”
“As the shadow Pres-Elect, Elon Musk is now calling the shots for House Rs on government funding while Trump hides in Mar-a-Lago behind his handlers,” Goldman added in a post on X. “It increasingly seems like we’re in for 4 years of an unelected oligarch running the country by pulling on his puppet’s strings.”
What Happens Next
Lawmakers now have until Friday to prevent a government shutdown. It isn’t clear what a new spending bill may look like now that Trump and Musk have asked for a streamlined budget.
However, the speaker may be forced to cut tens or hundreds of millions of dollars from the spending bill to get it through the House.
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