Congressional Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves from Musk
The tech mogul suggested he may re-enter spending negotiations as the next government funding deadline approaches.
TroibNews 
Elon Musk is starting to face diminishing support among congressional Republicans.
In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed Musk’s attempts to influence his budget plan on Tuesday. Meanwhile, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis explicitly indicated that President Donald Trump’s appointees should resist the billionaire’s demands, including his recent insistence that all federal workers justify their employment. An increasing number of GOP lawmakers have called on Musk to demonstrate greater empathy towards the civil servants he has already laid off.
“As we get more Senate-confirmed leadership in the departments, I think they have to take the reins,” Tillis remarked in response to a PMG reporter’s question at the Capitol.
Tillis added, “They’re closer to it, they’re more granular, they’ll understand and be able to really implement thematically what they’re trying to do with DOGE, but to avoid some of the unintended outcomes that they have to go back and reverse.”
Additionally, some GOP members are urging Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to process its cuts through Congress via a mechanism known as rescission. Even Republicans who have been strong supporters of Musk’s mission to limit government are beginning to recognize the public backlash against the rapid and sweeping nature of DOGE's cuts.
While Trump has delegated significant power to the billionaire to reshape the federal government, congressional Republicans are signaling that there should be constraints on his authority, especially when it comes to interfering with GOP leaders’ already challenging legislative agenda.
Musk has previously engaged in complex legislative disputes. In December, just before a government shutdown deadline, he ignited conservative outrage online regarding a bipartisan spending bill. Along with Trump and JD Vance, Musk pressured Johnson to withdraw the bill, prompting a rush for an alternative solution that irritated senior Hill Republicans who believed the billionaire was encouraging Trump to make unrealistic demands.
Musk has also hinted at re-entering spending negotiations ahead of the next government funding deadline on March 14, responding to a post on X by suggesting that a shutdown “sounds great.” Most Republicans, however, are reluctant to openly entertain the idea of a shutdown, fearing the political consequences.
His most recent attempt to influence congressional proceedings occurred Monday when he engaged in Johnson’s crucial negotiations with budget holdouts regarding Trump's border security, energy, and tax policies. He replied “that sounds bad” to an X post from Rep. Thomas Massie claiming that Johnson’s budget framework would increase the deficit.
Despite Musk's interventions, the Speaker assured PMG on Tuesday morning that he had “no concerns” about Musk's impact on his whip count. By Tuesday night, the House passed the budget bill by a narrow margin of 217-215.
The escalating resistance Musk is encountering on Capitol Hill coincides with efforts from courts, Cabinet secretaries, and even the White House to place limits on his role as Trump’s primary government cutter.
The White House clarified in court documents earlier this month that Musk is not the leader of DOGE; rather, he serves as a senior adviser to the president with “no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself.” Several Cabinet secretaries, particularly those overseeing national intelligence agencies, instructed their staff not to comply with Musk’s demand for federal workers to report five accomplishments from the previous week, or face dismissal. Federal judges have also blocked Musk and DOGE from accessing private information of Americans at various agencies, including the Treasury and Education departments.
Public sentiment towards Musk is turning negative, with polling indicating that Americans now view the X owner unfavorably. Republican representatives have received backlash in their districts over Musk’s cuts and proposed GOP reductions to Medicaid and other safety-net programs.
A representative from DOGE was not immediately available for comment.
On Tuesday, Congress' DOGE Caucus, a group focused on cutting government spending through legislative action, acknowledged the backlash while seeking to distance themselves from Musk’s department. Chair Aaron Bean recognized the “uncomfortability of some members of Congress and the American people” regarding the “speed at which President Trump and Elon Musk are going. They’ve got the pedal to the metal.”
Nonetheless, he firmly supported DOGE's objectives, asserting, “I can tell you, it has to be done. We have to downsize our federal government.”
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed Musk’s attempts to influence his budget plan on Tuesday. Meanwhile, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis explicitly indicated that President Donald Trump’s appointees should resist the billionaire’s demands, including his recent insistence that all federal workers justify their employment. An increasing number of GOP lawmakers have called on Musk to demonstrate greater empathy towards the civil servants he has already laid off.
“As we get more Senate-confirmed leadership in the departments, I think they have to take the reins,” Tillis remarked in response to a PMG reporter’s question at the Capitol.
Tillis added, “They’re closer to it, they’re more granular, they’ll understand and be able to really implement thematically what they’re trying to do with DOGE, but to avoid some of the unintended outcomes that they have to go back and reverse.”
Additionally, some GOP members are urging Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to process its cuts through Congress via a mechanism known as rescission. Even Republicans who have been strong supporters of Musk’s mission to limit government are beginning to recognize the public backlash against the rapid and sweeping nature of DOGE's cuts.
While Trump has delegated significant power to the billionaire to reshape the federal government, congressional Republicans are signaling that there should be constraints on his authority, especially when it comes to interfering with GOP leaders’ already challenging legislative agenda.
Musk has previously engaged in complex legislative disputes. In December, just before a government shutdown deadline, he ignited conservative outrage online regarding a bipartisan spending bill. Along with Trump and JD Vance, Musk pressured Johnson to withdraw the bill, prompting a rush for an alternative solution that irritated senior Hill Republicans who believed the billionaire was encouraging Trump to make unrealistic demands.
Musk has also hinted at re-entering spending negotiations ahead of the next government funding deadline on March 14, responding to a post on X by suggesting that a shutdown “sounds great.” Most Republicans, however, are reluctant to openly entertain the idea of a shutdown, fearing the political consequences.
His most recent attempt to influence congressional proceedings occurred Monday when he engaged in Johnson’s crucial negotiations with budget holdouts regarding Trump's border security, energy, and tax policies. He replied “that sounds bad” to an X post from Rep. Thomas Massie claiming that Johnson’s budget framework would increase the deficit.
Despite Musk's interventions, the Speaker assured PMG on Tuesday morning that he had “no concerns” about Musk's impact on his whip count. By Tuesday night, the House passed the budget bill by a narrow margin of 217-215.
The escalating resistance Musk is encountering on Capitol Hill coincides with efforts from courts, Cabinet secretaries, and even the White House to place limits on his role as Trump’s primary government cutter.
The White House clarified in court documents earlier this month that Musk is not the leader of DOGE; rather, he serves as a senior adviser to the president with “no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself.” Several Cabinet secretaries, particularly those overseeing national intelligence agencies, instructed their staff not to comply with Musk’s demand for federal workers to report five accomplishments from the previous week, or face dismissal. Federal judges have also blocked Musk and DOGE from accessing private information of Americans at various agencies, including the Treasury and Education departments.
Public sentiment towards Musk is turning negative, with polling indicating that Americans now view the X owner unfavorably. Republican representatives have received backlash in their districts over Musk’s cuts and proposed GOP reductions to Medicaid and other safety-net programs.
A representative from DOGE was not immediately available for comment.
On Tuesday, Congress' DOGE Caucus, a group focused on cutting government spending through legislative action, acknowledged the backlash while seeking to distance themselves from Musk’s department. Chair Aaron Bean recognized the “uncomfortability of some members of Congress and the American people” regarding the “speed at which President Trump and Elon Musk are going. They’ve got the pedal to the metal.”
Nonetheless, he firmly supported DOGE's objectives, asserting, “I can tell you, it has to be done. We have to downsize our federal government.”
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
