President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance are instructing congressional Republicans to reconsider a proposed government funding bill after public outcry from billionaire Elon Musk and numerous GOP lawmakers.
Trump and Vance weighed in on the situation Wednesday after a growing cascade of GOP lawmakers, egged on by Musk, voiced displeasure with the 1,500-page continuing resolution unveiled Tuesday night with a government shutdown looming.
“Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is Schumer and Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief,” Trump and Vance said in a joint statement the vice-president elect shared on X.
The soon-to-be president and vice president also demanded Republicans raise the debt ceiling now instead of waiting for next year to do so without any cooperation from Democrats. The statement followed reporting from Fox News about Trump’s opposition to the continuing resolution and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R., La.) strategy.
Musk joined a plethora of Republican lawmakers in criticizing the size of the continuing resolution and provisions amounting to over $100 billion of spending without offsets. He furiously shared his dissatisfaction on X and threatened primaries against GOP lawmakers who vote in favor of the bill, a move Musk could pull off with little impact on his $441 billion net worth.
“Your elected representatives have heard you and now the terrible bill is dead. The voice of the people has triumphed!” Musk declared on X.
Musk is leading Trump’s advisory commission on streamlining government, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who similarly opposes the spending bill. Ramaswamy framed the fight as “the first test” of whether Republicans are serious about DOGE, an initiative that thus far has garnered enthusiasm from lawmakers.
Republicans also spotlighted the package’s extension for the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, a body that has supported efforts to censor conservative speech online, and a section that might limit the GOP’s ability to continue investigating the House January 6th committee.
Other notable aspects of the legislation include $100 billion of disaster relief, a slight pay raise for lawmakers, over $30 billion of assistance for farmers, restrictions on outbound investment to China, a move toward ticket pricing transparency, a shift in control of RFK stadium from the federal government to Washington, D.C., and a commitment from the federal government to finance the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.
Johnson is holding discussions with his leadership team on potentially advancing a “clean” version of the spending bill and pushing the rest of the legislation until next year, Politico reported, citing two Republicans with knowledge of the situation.
The GOP infighting could impact Johnson’s bid to retain the speakership next month with an extremely narrow GOP majority. Trump has expressed confidence in Johnson, whose speakership appeared secure until this most recent dispute.
Responding to GOP infighting, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said Republicans will own the consequences of their actions, suggesting Democrats will not bail them out on pushing through a last-second funding package.
“House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government. And hurt the working class Americans they claim to support. You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow,” Jeffries said in a statement.
The continuing resolution would keep the government running until March 14, almost two months after the beginning of Trump’s second term.