Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) on Thursday accused billionaire Elon Musk of derailing a year-end spending deal.
“Let's put this in context: This was a bipartisan agreement to move forward and keep the government open through March,” Lee said on CNN.
“That unelected billionaire Elon Musk has now spoken out, tweeted from his cell phone and sent a message that it's OK to shut down the government and ignore bipartisan consensus. It's very clear to me,” she said, adding that allowing billionaires like Musk to run the government “has really serious consequences for the American people.”
The House of Representatives on Thursday night rejected House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-Louisiana) Plan B spending bill after it came under scrutiny from Musk and President-elect Trump. Trump's allies quickly followed suit, criticizing the continuing resolution that led to Johnson's Plan B bill.
Musk, who will co-head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Vivek Ramaswamy, on Wednesday flooded his social platform They called for the bill to be rejected.
Just hours after the continuing resolution was announced on Tuesday night, Musk began a series of posts and reposts claiming the deal “shouldn't have passed” and calling out the cost of a soccer stadium in Washington, D.C. Occasionally spread false information regarding salary increases for members of Congress.
President Trump also issued a joint statement Wednesday with Vice President-elect Vance calling for a combination of the debt ceiling and stopgap legislation, and the party's support for disaster relief and support for farmers (issues to be addressed in interim funding plan). He said he hopes to have the same policy, but is also seeking a request from Congress. Instead of giving Democrats “everything they want,” pass a “streamlined spending bill” that includes “raising the debt ceiling.”
But Trump's request raised eyebrows from lawmakers on both sides, with many questioning the president-elect's request.
