Elon Musk has expressed strong opposition regarding a stopgap government funding bill, asserting lawmakers to reject it and warning of political consequences for those who support it.
The billionaire, who has close ties with President-elect Donald Trump, posted on social media X on Wednesday to voice his disagreement.
“This bill should not pass,” Musk wrote on X and adding, “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in two years!”
He also encouraged his 200 million followers to contact their elected representatives, claiming lawmakers were trying to push the bill through without much attention.
In a separate tweet, Musk further insisted that no bills should be passed until Trump officially takes office on January 20.
The criticism comes at a critical moment, with Congress facing a Friday deadline to pass a spending bill or risk a government shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson, who has been working hard to get the bill through, revealed he had spoken to Musk about his concerns.
Though Trump has not publicly commented on the bill, two of his top advisers told ABC News that the former president is privately opposed to it. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Mitt Romney has urged Trump to make his position clear. “We can’t vote no on the CR and then keep the government open,” he said, referencing the bill in question.
During an interview on Fox & Friends, Speaker Johnson addressed Musk’s criticism and said that he had been in touch with Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who both lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Johnson further acknowledged the tight situation with a slim Republican majority in the House, alongside a Democratic-controlled Senate and White House. However, he also stressed that passing this bill was crucial to clearing the way for Trump’s America First agenda when the new Congress begins in January.
The proposed bill includes $100 billion in disaster relief for recent hurricanes and another $10 billion to support farmers. Johnson defended the additional spending, arguing that it was necessary to help Americans impacted by natural disasters, as per the ABC News.
“It was intended to be, and it was, until recent days, a very simple, very clean [continuing resolution], stopgap funding measure to get us into next year when we have unified government,” Johnson said. “We had these massive hurricanes in the late fall, Helene and Milton, and other disasters. We have to make sure that the Americans that were devastated by these hurricanes get the relief they need.”
Texas Representative Chip Roy expressed his frustration, saying, “We’re fundamentally unserious about spending. If you can’t shrink the government, you can’t live free.” Musk also mocked the size of the bill, adding to the criticism.
As the deadline approaches, Johnson remains determined to get the measure passed. He views it as a temporary fix to prevent a shutdown while ensuring disaster relief, saying, “We’ll get to March, where we can start making bigger changes.”