Over Spending Bill, Trump and Musk Disturb Congressional Holiday Plans

This week Congress appeared poised to enact a bipartisan government funding deal, guaranteeing legislators could spend the holidays back home. But involvement from billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump threw off their preparations and caused anarchy in Washington. Trump called the 1,500-page measure "ridiculous and extraordinarily expensive," on Wednesday; Musk reinforced the message on social media. Posting over 100 times on X, Musk, the biggest Republican donor to the 2024 campaign, threatened primary challenges against legislators endorsing the idea. Their resistance caused the measure to fall apart and resulted in the introduction of a leaner 116-page proposal that likewise failed late Thursday.

Emphasizing his influence and Musk's growing political might, the failed plan constituted Trump's first postelection test in unifying Republicans. Musk, who lavished $250 million on Trump's campaign, has already been sought for a key position in his upcoming government. With Musk and Trump positioned as champions of financial restraint, conservative Republicans hailed the rejection of the initial measure. Musk refuted assertions he perfected the updated concept, attributing instead credit to Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Notwithstanding their efforts, the House turned down the scaled-down proposal due to internal Republican differences and about 40 GOP legislators' opposition.

The deadlock gives less than a day to stop a government shutdown. Although Speaker Johnson promised to reorganize, his leadership seems to be more dependent on Trump's approval. Republicans were skeptical and Democrats criticized the theatrics. Representative Chip Roy denounced the updated scheme for raising the debt load by $5 trillion. Calls for Musk to take on a more official leadership role, including that he replace Johnson as Speaker, grew among conservatives. While conservatives welcomed Musk as a game-changer, foreshadowing a new era of political upheaval in Washington, Democrats termed his influence undemocratic.