Elon Musk, Donald Trump cause chaos as passage of crucial spending bill stymied
On Thursday, as the possibility of a partial government shutdown during the holidays brewed, a spending bill that would keep the federal government functioning was voted down by a coalition of Democrats and far-right Republicans — the latter of whom broke ranks with President-elect Donald Trump, who backed the bill. The overall vote was 174 to 235.
“Yesterday a multi-billionaire, with apparently no working knowledge of government or of appropriations — a self-appointed president of the United States, Elon Musk — issued a marching order for House Republicans to go against their own elected leadership and shut down the government,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said on the House floor prior to the vote. “Soon after, Congress was on a fast track to a government shutdown.”
Democrats supported the original bill until Trump and his close ally, Elon Musk, demanded that House Speaker Mike Johnson raise the debt ceiling before the president-elect’s return to office.
"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 said in a post from his Truth Social platform.
“Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried. Everything should be done, and fully negotiated, prior to my taking Office on January 20th, 2025."
Meanwhile, Musk spent much of the week firing off posts from his social media company X, demanding that Congress shut down the government until Trump is elected.
“No bills should be passed [sic] Congress until Jan 20, when @realDonaldTrump takes office. None. Zero,” Musk wrote in a post on Wednesday. And when the popular right-wing finance account known as “Wall Street Mav” suggested it would be “totally fine” if the entire government shut down for 33 days, Musk affirmed the sentiment. It appeared that the tech billionaire, who will be joining the Trump administration as a so-called “efficiency czar,” was trying to get some practice in before disrupting government functionality becomes a full-time profession.
Johnson, who is trying to pass the spending bill, reportedly met with Musk over the phone Wednesday to discuss the parameters of the legislation. Clearly, it seems that nobody is in the driver’s seat of this clown car.
But when the aforementioned coalition of congressional members voted against Johnson’s spending bill, Musk was eager to blame Democrats, saying that they should be held responsible for a hypothetical government shutdown.
"This is a MUCH better bill that is closer to being a real continuing resolution (not an omnibus masquerading as a CR), but with support for hurricane victims and farmers, as well as a reasonable extension to the debt ceiling," Musk wrote.
Those within Trump’s inner circle have expressed skepticism over how Musk’s confusing, recalcitrant attitude will mix with the future president’s demand for loyalty and unity. Some are wondering if this is only a preview of things to come.
“Here’s the question: Is Elon saying to the president, ‘Hey, I’m going to do this.’ And the president’s like, ‘Great, you be the fucking bad guy.’ Or is he just doing this shit? And the president’s like, ‘Ah, f--k,’” a source close to Trump told Politico.
“Elon knows a lot about launching rockets into space. But what does he know about the minutiae of political dealmaking, right? And what it takes to get through? It is very difficult to get things passed when you have [an eight-seat] majority.”
Congress currently has until midnight today to pass a spending bill or the government will be forced to shutdown and furlough hundreds of thousands of federal employees — including those involved with air trafficking this holiday season.