Donald Trump Sides With Elon Musk Against Mike Johnson Over Spending Bill

What’s New

President-elect Donald Trump sided with Elon Musk in his opposition to House Speaker Mike Johnson‘s bill to temporarily fund the government as Congress scrambles to pass a spending bill with only two days before the deadline to avoid a shutdown.

Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance criticized the bill in a statement posted to Vance’s X (formerly Twitter) account Wednesday afternoon.

“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,” they wrote.

Their statement comes after Musk, a prominent Trump ally, spent much of Wednesday on X rallying Republicans against the bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), in a direct challenge to Johnson. He praised Republican members of Congress who have pledged to vote it down over myriad concerns he has with it, including a measure that would allow members of Congress to get a raise.

“‘Shutting down’ the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill,” Musk wrote in one post.

Newsweek reached out via email to Johnson’s office and Musk, via SpaceX and Tesla, for comment.

Why It Matters

Congress has only until Friday to pass the CR to avoid a government shutdown, just days before Christmas. Trump, as the GOP’s leader, holds substantial influence over Republicans and has proved capable of sinking legislation, including a bipartisan border bill earlier this year.

Musk’s push against the bill is also a test of his own sway over the Republican Party. He has become increasingly popular among conservative voters and lawmakers following his embrace of Trump in this year’s election. Trump has said Musk will lead the new Department of Government Efficiency.

Amid Musk’s criticism, a flurry of House Republicans said on social media that they would refuse to support the bill. The conservative revolt is seen by political observers as a sign of Musk’s growing influence.