Elon Musk: Anyone who votes for spending deal should lose reelection

Tech mogul Elon Musk continued his tirade against the newly unveiled end-of-year funding deal Wednesday, calling for any lawmaker who supports the continuing resolution to be voted out of office.

“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote in a post on his social platform X.

“Please call your elected representatives right away to tell them how you feel!” he added in a separate post. “They are trying to get this passed today while no one is paying attention.”

Musk also called for a moratorium on all legislation until President-elect Trump takes office.

"No bills should be passed Congress until Jan 20, when @realDonaldTrump takes office. None. Zero."

Congressional leaders are racing to pass a stopgap funding bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), to avoid a government shutdown Friday.

The bipartisan deal unveiled Tuesday night would punt the funding deadline to March 14, giving the incoming Republican majorities in both chambers more time to hash out funding with Trump.

Musk came out against the deal early Wednesday morning, saying it “should not pass” and labelling it a big “piece of pork.”

The billionaire and close ally of Trump is set to lead the brand-new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) which aims to slash government costs.

His DOGE co-chair, Vivek Ramaswamy, also urged lawmakers to vote against the deal Wednesday if they are “serious about government efficiency,” suggesting it is “full of excessive spending, special interest giveaways and pork barrel politics”

“The legislation will end up hurting many of the people it purports to help. Debt-fueled spending sprees may ‘feel good’ today, but it’s like showering cocaine on an addict: it’s not compassion, it’s cruelty,” Ramaswamy wrote on X.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he spoke to Musk and Ramaswamy on Tuesday night about their concerns, although it does not appear to have averted the push to torpedo the bill.

“Elon, Vivek and I were on a text chain together, and I was explaining to them the background of this. And Vivek and I talked last night, about almost midnight, and he said, ‘Look, I get it,’" Johnson told Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning. "He said, ‘We understand you’re in an impossible position. Everybody knows that.’”

“Remember, guys, we still have just a razor-thin margin of Republicans. So any bill has to have Democratic votes,” Johnson added. “They understand the situation. He said, ‘It’s not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending.’ I said, ‘Guess what, fellas, I don’t either.”

Musk and Ramaswamy are among several top Trump allies to urge lawmakers to oppose the CR.

Donald Trump Jr. and Steve Bannon also called on Republicans to vote against the spending bill Wednesday.

Updated at 2:47 p.m. EST

Topics

Johnson weighs spending plan B as Elon Musk stokes opposition

Politico - 3h
Elon Musk opposes Johnson-backed spending package

Politico - 9h
Fast-track House vote anticipated on spending deal as conservatives object

House lawmakers are bracing for a possible vote on the 1,500-page government funding deal as early as Wednesday night or Thursday morning under a fast-track process. The potential move to speed up ...
The Hill - 4h
How Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy teamed up to gut $2 trillion in government spending

The entity known as DOGE will have to go after Social Security and healthcare programs to hit its targets. Some in Washington don’t believe it stands a chance.
MarketWatch - 2d
Elon Musk spends $277 million to back Trump and Republican candidates

Elon Musk was the largest donor in the 2024 election cycle, spending at least $277 million to back President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates.
CBS News - Dec. 6
Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk meet with Republicans to talk DOGE spending cuts

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy began swapping ideas in person with congressional Republicans about ways they could slash federal spending and regulations.
NBC News - Dec. 5
What's Next in the Legal Battle Over Elon Musk's $100 Billion Pay Deal

The Tesla CEO’s record-breaking compensation package has hit another roadblock, after a Delaware judge again rejected the deal.
The Wall Street Journal - Dec. 3
Tesla CEO Elon Musk loses bid to get $56 billion pay package reinstated

Elon Musk's pay package granted in 2018 was the largest compensation plan in U.S. history for a public company executive.
CNBC - Dec. 3
Tesla CEO Elon Musk loses bid to get $56 billion pay package reinstated

Tesla CEO Elon Musk lost his bid to get his 2018 CEO pay package reinstated on Monday when a Delaware judge upheld her prior ruling that the compensation plan was improperly granted.
NBC News - Dec. 3