Elon Musk is coming out swinging against the government’s spending package in an early test of his political power

New York
CNN
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In a flurry of posts Wednesday on his social media platform X, Elon Musk mocked a Republican-backed government spending bill that, if not passed Friday night, would lead to a government shutdown.

“This bill should not pass,” Musk wrote Wednesday morning, in response to a post by Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency advisory group.

“Did you ever see a bigger piece of pork?” Musk posted along with a photo of a printed copy of the bill, known as a continuing resolution.

In more than two dozen posts, Musk attacked the bill at various points, calling it “criminal” for including funding for the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, an agency tasked with combating foreign propaganda and disinformation, which Musk called a “censorship operation.”

The public battle puts an early test of Musk and Ramaswamy’s political power as they seek to cut government spending, including at least $2 trillion in federal programs, a number experts have called unrealistic.

Musk, the world’s richest person, also mocked a pay raise for members of Congress in the bill, making the post the top of his X profile. Musk also appeared to issue an election threat to members of Congress who vote for the bill, writing “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” He also urged his supporters to call their representatives to “stop stealing your tax dollars.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, has defended the bill, calling it a necessary stop until the party takes control of Congress next year. Speaking on Fox News Wednesday morning, Johnson said he texted Musk and Ramaswamy to explain the background to the bill.

“Remember, guys, we still only have a razor-thin margin of Republicans, so any bill has to have Democratic votes. They understand the situation. They said, ‘This isn’t directed at you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending.’ I said, ‘guess what guys, neither do I,'” Johnson said.

Several Republican members of Congress have also expressed opposition to the bill, with Musk amplifying many of their comments on his social platform.

South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman said any member who supports the DOGE effort — led by Musk and Ramaswamy — should oppose the stopgap bill.

“Any member who claims to support DOGE should not support this ‘CR of Inefficiency’ that has no advance!! Don’t go weak in the knees before we even get started!,” Norman wrote.

To pass the spending measure, Johnson will need about 90 members of his own conference to support it.

House Republicans acknowledged that Musk’s pressure campaign has had an impact on the conference, but not everyone is bowing to the pressure — for now. But as several GOP lawmakers call out that Musk has unleashed his millions of followers on their offices, the most important voice in the conversation, Trump, remained silent.

“We’re going to see the new Elon’s new power,” GOP Rep. Byron Donalds, who opposes the spending bill and hopes Musk’s pressure campaign will influence his colleagues, told CNN.

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole said “people pay a lot of attention” to what Musk has to say, but downplayed the impact it has on his colleagues.

The incoming vice chairman of the House GOP caucus, Rep. Lisa McClain, told CNN “he’s not a member of Congress, but I think, you know, he’s a successful business owner and he’s on the DOGE caucus. So, you know, it goes. It cuts both ways.”

A moderate GOP Rep. Don Bacon, who supports the package, told CNN that Musk was “premature” to come out against it so quickly when there are a lot of Republican “wins” hidden in it.

“He should have been given the facts,” Bacon added.

But retiring GOP Rep. Debbie Lesko, who is voting against the package, said she “absolutely” hopes Musk’s public play will sway more of her colleagues.

CNN’s Haley Talbot contributed.