US President-elect Donald Trump has dealt a potential death blow to bipartisan congressional budget negotiations, dismissing the measure as full of giveaways to Democrats after unelected billionaire ally Elon Musk fumed over the bill and cheered on Republican lawmakers who declared their opposition to it.
As a result, a partial US government shutdown may begin on Saturday. Based on previous shutdowns, this could result in congressionally funded government services being delayed or closed, with thousands of non-essential employees furloughed and essential employees temporarily working without pay.
There were two government shutdowns in Trump’s first presidency, both ostensibly linked to his demands for border security funding — a relationship that lasted one day in January 2018, and the longest on record at five weeks during late 2018 and early 2019.
Trump’s joint statement Wednesday with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance stopped the bill in its tracks and punctuated a torrent of Musk’s social media posts attacking the legislation for what he described as excessive spending.
“Stop stealing your tax money!” “X,” Musk wrote on his social media platform as he waved primary challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal. Musk pumped an estimated $200 million into his political action committee to help elect Trump.
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Musk also encouraged Americans to contact their federal representatives to express their disagreement with their bill.
Rep. Andy Barr, a Republican from Kentucky, said his office was inundated with calls from constituents.
“My phone was ringing off the hook,” he said. “The people who elected us listen to Elon Musk.”
Republicans have come under harsh criticism from Bernie Sanders of Vermont, among others, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
“Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan deal to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesn’t like it. Will Republicans take the ring?” Sanders wrote on Wednesday.
Conflicts seem to be abundant
The episode demonstrated the growing political clout of Musk, who was chosen by Trump along with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the Government Efficiency Administration, a non-government task force formed to find ways to fire federal employees, cut programs and reduce regulations.
All of Musk’s companies intersect with the federal government and are regulated in different ways. SpaceX has multibillion-dollar contracts with NASA, and he is the CEO of Tesla, the electric car company that benefits from government tax incentives and is subject to auto safety regulations.
Musk’s purchase of the social media platform Twitter, which was rebranded as X in 2023 and is still used prominently by politicians and governments, The violations were investigated By the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). His other companies include artificial intelligence startup xAI and brain implant maker Neuralink.
“There is a direct conflict between his actions and the interests of the government,” Anne Skate, director of leadership ethics at Santa Clara University, told The Associated Press last month. “He’s now in a position to try to win over those companies.”
Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and an expert on budget battles in Washington, was enthusiastic about Musk’s ability to draw public attention to efforts to reduce the size of government. But he suggested that the owner of the space rocket company was not the right person to lead a spending debate in Congress.
He added: “He does not know politics as well as he knows physics.”
Others were happy with Musk’s participation.
“In five years in Congress, I’ve been waiting for a fundamental change in the dynamic,” said Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican from North Carolina. “He has arrived.”
In a post on X, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., floated Musk’s name as a potential speaker, apparently relishing the prospect of “seeing the collective establishment… lose its ever-loving brains.”
The Speaker of the House of Representatives does not have to be a member of Congress. . .
Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than the election of Elon Musk. . . Think about it. . . Nothing is impossible. (Not to mention the joy of seeing the collectivist establishment, also known as the “monoparty”, lose its enduring love…
Amplifying false claims
Trump’s opposition to what was seen as inevitable legislation has renewed a sense of uncertainty and political brinkmanship in Washington that is reminiscent of his first term in office.
It was a dramatic turn of events for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who negotiated the bill and had Trump undermine it while facing re-election to office in just two weeks.
Republicans have a slim majority, raising the possibility of a repeat of the leadership disputes that paralyzed the House of Representatives a year ago in the final weeks of Kevin McCarthy’s term as Speaker of the House, and the first weeks of Johnson’s term.
The Biden administration has criticized the possibility of a lockdown.
“Republicans must stop playing politics with this bipartisan agreement or they will hurt hard-working Americans and create instability across the country,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
In his social media posts, Musk has sometimes amplified false claims, such as the idea that the legislation includes $3 billion for a new soccer stadium in Washington. In effect, the legislation would transfer ownership of the land from the federal government to the city, paving the way for eventual development.
“I love you, Elon, but you need to take 5 seconds to check your sources before highlighting bottom feeders looking for clicks,” Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw said on Channel X.
House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said any repercussions of the government shutdown would fall solely on Republicans.
“If you break the bipartisan agreement, you will suffer the consequences that follow,” he wrote on X.
Regarding Trump, earlier this year, his disapproval led Republicans to back away from a broad, bipartisan bill that would have strengthened border security measures.
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