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Elon Musk CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has urged The Republican lawmakers to reject stopgap spending bill.
NEW DELHI: Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has waded deep into U.S. politics, urging Republican lawmakers to reject a stopgap spending bill that could avert a government shutdown. His strong opposition, voiced on X (formerly Twitter), comes just days before federal funding is set to lapse, potentially disrupting essential services during the holiday season.
Labeling the proposed bill as “criminal,” Musk argued that no legislation should pass until President-elect Donald Trump returns to office in January. “This criminal bill should NOT pass,” Musk declared, warning that lawmakers supporting the measure should face electoral consequences. The spending bill, which aims to keep the government funded through March 14, includes $100.4 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in economic relief for farmers, maintaining the overall $6.2 trillion federal budget.
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Despite Musk’s call to action, Republican lawmakers remain divided. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole acknowledged the tech mogul’s sway. “They are very influential guys, and people put a lot of stock in what they are saying,” he said, referencing Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, another Trump ally who opposes the bill.
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However, House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to ease tensions, revealing that he’d communicated with both Musk and Ramaswamy about the need for the temporary funding. “Elon and Vivek and I are on a text chain together,” Johnson said in a Fox News interview, emphasizing that the bill is essential to prevent immediate disruptions and keep the government functioning until January.
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Not all Republicans are swayed by Musk’s pressure campaign. Representative Glenn Thompson, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, highlighted the bill’s critical provisions for farmers and disaster victims. “I’m not sure Musk understands the plight of working people,” Thompson remarked, predicting sufficient bipartisan support to pass the measure.
The potential shutdown, which would impact a wide array of services, including operations tied to Musk’s own ventures like NASA and the Pentagon, looms large. Meanwhile, Democrats have criticized Musk’s stance as reckless. “What we need to do is fund government,” Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said, calling Musk’s push “dangerous.”
