On Tuesday night, House Speaker Mike Johnson seemed poised to advance a funding deal to avoid a government shutdown. By Wednesday afternoon, the wealthiest man in the world was publicly calling for lawmakers to be ousted if they voted for the bill — and Republicans weren’t sure if it would even make it to the floor.
In a fight between Musk and Johnson — between a possible shutdown and funding the government on time — Musk may have won. At least, he’s created a lot of chaos for GOP leaders.
“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” wrote Musk, a close adviser to President-elect Donald Trump. The legislation, negotiated between Johnson and Senate Democrats, is also “criminal,” according to Musk, a “piece of pork,” and it simply “should not pass.”