Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out Thursday about Elon Musk’s influence on Capitol Hill’s budget debate.
“If you’re just catching up: the Republican Party, taking orders from the world’s richest man, is on course to shut down the government over the holidays, stopping paychecks for our troops and nutrition benefits for low-income families just in time for Christmas,” the 2016 presidential nominee wrote on X.
Clinton, the former first lady and senator, served in Congress from 2001 to 2009.
Her remarks came after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., unveiled a revised version of a continuing resolution, or CR, to keep the government open past Friday night’s deadline.
Musk expressed strong opposition to the original spending arrangement Johnson struck with Democrats, threatening to sponsor a primary challenge against any Republican who voted for it.
Without a viable agreement to push the government funding deadline to March and maintain spending at 2024 levels, the government will go into partial closure at midnight Saturday.
However, House Democrats oppose the most recent version of a spending deal. And, with $36 trillion in debt and a $1.8 trillion deficit in 2024, several conservatives oppose a CR that pushes the funding deadline to March and completely freezes spending at 2024 levels.
“The Musk-Johnson plan is not serious; it is ludicrous. “Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York.
Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., hinted that Democratic leadership would whip their members to vote “no” on the agreement.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., bemoaned that the previous deal had failed due to conservative opposition, with help from Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) executives Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
“Everybody agreed,” he added, “but then it was blown up by Elon Musk, who appears to have become the fourth branch of government.” And it is an unacceptable way to proceed.
“Democrats are going to try to figure out how we can salvage the public good as the wreckage that’s just been pushed.”
“Hell no” chants could be heard inside the room where Democrats were meeting after the bill’s text was announced.
The latest continuing resolution would continue existing government funding levels for three months while simultaneously suspending the debt limit for two years, as President-elect Trump has requested.
It follows the right’s opposition to the initial 1,500-page CR over policy and funding riders.
House members might vote on the new legislation as early as Thursday evening.
It’s unclear whether the revised accord will pass. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who led the opposition to the original bill, also criticized the revised agreement.
“More debt.” More government. Increasing the credit card by $4 trillion with no spending restraints or restrictions. Roy scrawled “HARD NO” on X.
