Elon Musk Is Making an attempt to Pressure a Authorities Shutdown

The massive man makes his mark shortly in Washington.
Picture: Jose Luis Magana/AP Picture

Ever since Donald Trump rewarded Elon Musk for his huge election help by placing him in command of dismantling giant swaths of the federal authorities, nobody has been fairly certain what to think about it. Would main the unofficial Division of Authorities Effectivity (with Vivek Ramaswamy) be a faux job to maintain Musk completely satisfied and busy (you recognize, within the spare time left from operating his numerous firms) whereas the actual adults applied Trump’s agenda? Or would possibly it unleash a powerfully damaging character with an enormous social-media machine at his fingertips, one who is aware of nothing concerning the public sector apart from how a lot he hates it?

It was typically assumed we’d discover out the reply to this key query as soon as Congress bought transferring on funds laws to implement Trump’s agenda and DOGE both sniped from the sidelines or tried to big-foot its means into choices about spending and revenues. However Musk has jumped the gun.

With two days to go till federal authorities funding expires, Home Speaker Mike Johnson is attempting to go a stopgap spending invoice he negotiated with Democrats. Now Musk and Ramaswamy are firing off tweets blasting Johnson’s handiwork to hearty attaboys from MAGA-land and calling for a authorities shutdown that no one in Washington needs or had anticipated. A pattern:

Musk and firm have shortly ignited a firestorm that’s sweeping grassroots conservatives and stampeding GOP members of Congress into opposing a invoice that the majority of them anticipated to simply go, albeit with loads of Democratic votes in order that conservatives may posture in opposition to it. The coup de grace got here from Mar-a-Lago:

So now a blindsided Mike Johnson is scrambling to give you a plan B that Elon gained’t kill, Politico experiences:

The Louisiana Republican is discussing dropping $100 billion in catastrophe help plus different attachments and as a substitute passing a “clear CR” — then coping with the opposite points within the new 12 months, based on two Republicans with data of the conversations. Along with catastrophe help, that might imply dropping $30 billion for farmers, and a one-year extension of the farm invoice, amongst different objects, at the least for now.

It will make the many individuals within the southeast nonetheless ready for disaster-recovery help after Hurricane Helene very sad, together with loads of farmers in deep-red Trump nation. And there may be zero assurance that taking this massive step again will appeal to any Democratic votes to offset the Home Republicans who will vote in opposition to any and all spending payments till the top of time. For that matter, any “clear” persevering with decision should go the Democratic-controlled Senate and be signed by Joe Biden. And all this must occur by midnight December 20 to keep away from a shutdown.

This newest missive (on Musk’s X platform, for what it’s price) from Home Democratic Chief Hakeem Jeffries suggests an sad Christmas for federal workers:

Regardless of the way it seems, it is a catastrophe for Johnson, who will quickly face a detailed reelection vote for Speaker. A sudden humiliation by the hands of the unelected co-director of an unfunded and unofficial entity gained’t make it simpler. And it’s additionally unhealthy information for the incoming administration, the Congress, and the nation. If Elon Musk can work this kind of damaging marvel in a matter of hours, who’s going to inform him there are limits to his energy? In all probability not Republicans in Congress.