President-elect Donald Trump has delivered a potential death blow to bipartisan congressional budget negotiations, dismissing the measure as full of giveaways to Democrats after unelected billionaire Elon Musk eliminated frustration towards the bill and rejoiced with Republican lawmakers who announced their opposition.
As a result, a partial shutdown of the US government could begin on Saturday. Based on previous shutdowns, it could lead to congressionally funded government services being subject to delays or shutdowns, with thousands of non-essential workers furloughed and essential workers working for unpaid time off.
There were two government shutdowns in Trump's first presidency, both apparently related to his requests for border security funding – a day-long affair in January 2018 and the longest on record ever for five weeks over late 2018 and early 2019.
Trump's joint statement Wednesday with Vice President-elect JD Vance stopped the bill in its tracks and prompted a flurry of social media posts with Musk attacking the legislation for what he described as excessive spending.
“Stop stealing your tax dollars!” Musk wrote on his social media platform X as he hung key challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal. Musk pumped an estimated US$200 million into his own political action committee to elect Trump.
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Musk also encouraged Americans to contact their federal representatives if they disagreed with his bill.
Representative Andy Barr, Republican of Kentucky, said his office was flooded with calls from constituents.
“My phone was ringing off the hook,” he said. “The people who elected us are listening to Elon Musk.”
The Republicans came in for strong criticism from, among others, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.
“Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan deal to fund our government. The richest man in the world, President Elon Musk, doesn't like it. Will Republicans kiss the ring? ” Sanders wrote on X Wednesday.
Conflicts seem to abound
The program showed the growing political influence of Musk, who Trump has chosen along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to head the Department of Government Efficiency, a non-governmental task force created to find ways to make workers burn federal, cut programs and reduce regulations.
Musk's companies all intersect with the federal government and are subject to regulation in various ways. SpaceX holds billions of dollars in NASA contracts and is the CEO of Tesla, the electric car business 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 X in 2023 and is still prominently used by politicians and governments, has been checked for irregularities by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). His other companies include artificial intelligence startup xAI and brain implant maker Neuralink.
“There's a direct conflict between his businesses and the government's interest,” Ann Skeet, director of leadership ethics at Santa Clara University, told the Associated Press last month. “He's now able to try to curry favor to these enterprises.”
Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a veteran of Washington's budget battles, has been enthusiastic about Musk's ability to generate public attention for efforts to reduce the size of government. But he suggested that the owner of a space rocket company is not the right person to preside over the transportation spending debate.
“He doesn't know politics like he knows physics,” he said.
Others were impressed by Musk's involvement.
“In five years in Congress, I've been waiting for a fundamental change in dynamic,” added representative Dan Bishop, Republican from North Carolina. “He has come.”
In a post on X, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky even floated Musk's name as a possible speaker, apparently excited about the possibilities of “seeing the establishment together… lose their minds.” is constantly growing. “
The Speaker of the House does not have to be a member of Congress. . .
Nothing would upset the swamp more than electing Elon Musk. . . think about it. . . nothing is impossible. (not to mention the joy of seeing the establishment together, called 'uniparty,' lose their love forever'…
Increase false claims
Trump's opposition to what was seen as must-pass legislation renewed a sense of uncertainty and political enthusiasm in Washington reminiscent of his first term in office.
It was a surprising turn of events for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who negotiated the bill and has been undermined by Trump as he faces re-election to his post in a few weeks.
Republicans have a slim majority, raising the possibility of a replay of leadership disputes that paralyzed the House a year ago in the final weeks of Kevin McCarthy's time as Speaker, and the early weeks of Johnson's tenure.
The Biden administration criticized the possibility of a shutdown.
“Republicans must stop playing politics with this bipartisan deal or they will hurt hard-working Americans and create instability across the country,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
In his social media posts, Musk sometimes promoted false claims, such as the idea that the legislation included $3 billion for a new football 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 you pressure low feeders looking for clicks,” Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw said on X.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said any fallout from a government shutdown would be up to Republicans alone.
“You break the bipartisan agreement, the consequences are yours,” he wrote on X.
As for Trump, earlier this year, his dissent led Republicans to support a sweeping bipartisan bill that would have increased border security measures.
