On Wednesday, billionaire and major Trump backer Elon Musk expressed his opposition to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s planned bill to keep the government financed.
Musk criticized the bill on social media, claiming that the 1,547-page legislation is full of “pork.” The plan is intended to prevent a government shutdown on Friday while also funding the government into March.
“This bill should not pass,” Musk openly stated on X.
Republican congressional leaders have defended their plan for a stopgap spending bill, arguing that it will give President-elect Trump more control over spending when the issue comes up again in the spring.
Vivek Ramaswamy, another Trump loyalist, expressed reservations about the bill Tuesday night, but did not oppose it completely.
“I am currently reading the 1,547-page law that will fund the government through mid-March. “I expect every US Congressman and Senator to do the same,” Ramaswamy wrote on X.
Trump has not spoken on the budget debate, but numerous Republican members raised concerns about a hefty funding bill earlier this week.
“We communicated with the speaker up until this weekend, and the only question was, ‘How long will this clean CR last?’ And then we find out – I heard stories over the weekend – that they’re negotiating a health-care deal that includes PBMs,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital before the bill was unveiled on Tuesday.
“PBM stuff” refers to a provision in the law that reduces the influence of pharmacy benefit managers.
Johnson has given members three days to read the bill and scheduled a vote on Friday. He claims that the bill’s large size is the result of natural disasters and other incidents that must be paid for but are beyond the government’s control, rather than prior years’ omnibus spending plans.
The law includes $100 billion in disaster aid for Hurricanes Milton and Helene, as well as $8 billion to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The GOP now maintains a one-seat majority in the House, so Johnson would most certainly need Democratic votes to pass the law. To avoid a shutdown, the legislation must also pass the Senate by the deadline on Friday.
