Johnson faces a major new challenge: "Elon Musk"
The tech scion dedicated the day to opposing the CR, and Republicans are aligning themselves with him.
TroibNews 
Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a significant challenge as he works to prevent a government shutdown during the holiday season, and the source of this trouble is Elon Musk.
The tech entrepreneur and strong supporter of President-elect Donald Trump criticized a short-term funding bill that Johnson endorsed through a post on his platform X on Wednesday. Musk condemned the 1,547-page continuing resolution for including various unrelated spending initiatives—such as a pay increase for legislators—branding it “criminal,” “unconscionable,” and a “crime against the American people.”
His criticism began at 4:15 a.m. ET with Musk’s declaration on X that “this bill should not pass.” Since then, he has continued to voice his disapproval, urging his nearly 208 million followers to contact their representatives to “Stop the steal of your tax dollars!” He further warned that “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
This scenario poses a problem for Johnson, a Republican and Trump ally who could face internal challenges as he strives to pass the bill by Friday night to avert a government shutdown at a critical time of year.
Musk's intervention is seen as an early loyalty test, especially as he plans to head a “Department of Government Efficiency” under Trump that aims to reduce costs across the federal government.
“Any Member who claims to support the @DOGE should not support this ‘CR of Inefficiency’ that does not have offsets!!” remarked Rep. Ralph Norman in a post that Musk shared. “Don’t get weak in the knees before we even get started!”
Sen. Joni Ernst, who faced criticism in Trump circles earlier this month for her wavering support regarding the president-elect’s Pentagon nomination of Pete Hegseth, expressed her disdain for the bill on X, stating “Congress deserves a lump of coal for failing to do its job and putting special interests ahead of taxpayers,” and underlined, “We need @DOGE to cut the pork and #makeemsqueal!”
Rep. Lauren Boebert added on X: “So many members of Congress want the clout of working with @DOGE and @ElonMusk.”
Musk's appeals and warnings appear to be resonating.
“I think it's having an effect on some people,” acknowledged Rep. Andy Biggs, known for his strong alignment with Trump and as a member of the Freedom Caucus. When asked if Musk's post was influencing votes, Biggs suggested, “I think it probably is.”
Numerous conservative House Republicans voiced their opposition to the bill on Wednesday, aligning with Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. The two issued a joint statement on X later that afternoon, asserting, “we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want.”
As the afternoon progressed, Johnson’s leadership team sought to devise a Plan B: a “clean” funding package that would eliminate $100 billion in disaster aid and other provisions, according to PMG.
Nonetheless, Johnson is not immune to criticism. “Johnson’s ‘got to go,’” declared close Trump ally Steve Bannon on Wednesday. “President Trump supports him until he doesn’t support him,” he added.
Musk, X, and his America PAC did not respond to inquiries for comment.
Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
The tech entrepreneur and strong supporter of President-elect Donald Trump criticized a short-term funding bill that Johnson endorsed through a post on his platform X on Wednesday. Musk condemned the 1,547-page continuing resolution for including various unrelated spending initiatives—such as a pay increase for legislators—branding it “criminal,” “unconscionable,” and a “crime against the American people.”
His criticism began at 4:15 a.m. ET with Musk’s declaration on X that “this bill should not pass.” Since then, he has continued to voice his disapproval, urging his nearly 208 million followers to contact their representatives to “Stop the steal of your tax dollars!” He further warned that “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
This scenario poses a problem for Johnson, a Republican and Trump ally who could face internal challenges as he strives to pass the bill by Friday night to avert a government shutdown at a critical time of year.
Musk's intervention is seen as an early loyalty test, especially as he plans to head a “Department of Government Efficiency” under Trump that aims to reduce costs across the federal government.
“Any Member who claims to support the @DOGE should not support this ‘CR of Inefficiency’ that does not have offsets!!” remarked Rep. Ralph Norman in a post that Musk shared. “Don’t get weak in the knees before we even get started!”
Sen. Joni Ernst, who faced criticism in Trump circles earlier this month for her wavering support regarding the president-elect’s Pentagon nomination of Pete Hegseth, expressed her disdain for the bill on X, stating “Congress deserves a lump of coal for failing to do its job and putting special interests ahead of taxpayers,” and underlined, “We need @DOGE to cut the pork and #makeemsqueal!”
Rep. Lauren Boebert added on X: “So many members of Congress want the clout of working with @DOGE and @ElonMusk.”
Musk's appeals and warnings appear to be resonating.
“I think it's having an effect on some people,” acknowledged Rep. Andy Biggs, known for his strong alignment with Trump and as a member of the Freedom Caucus. When asked if Musk's post was influencing votes, Biggs suggested, “I think it probably is.”
Numerous conservative House Republicans voiced their opposition to the bill on Wednesday, aligning with Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. The two issued a joint statement on X later that afternoon, asserting, “we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want.”
As the afternoon progressed, Johnson’s leadership team sought to devise a Plan B: a “clean” funding package that would eliminate $100 billion in disaster aid and other provisions, according to PMG.
Nonetheless, Johnson is not immune to criticism. “Johnson’s ‘got to go,’” declared close Trump ally Steve Bannon on Wednesday. “President Trump supports him until he doesn’t support him,” he added.
Musk, X, and his America PAC did not respond to inquiries for comment.
Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
