Elon Musk spent the previous few days posting a couple of authorities spending invoice on X, the web site he owns. Musk, who’s cozy with the incoming Trump administration and thinks the federal government spends an excessive amount of cash, didn’t need the spending invoice to go. He posted about this greater than 100 instances. As of this writing, it seems that Musk has gotten his want.
Offended constituents referred to as their representatives. The GOP’s most unhinged members revolted and the invoice is lifeless within the water. It’s doable that we are going to start the vacation season with a authorities shutdown. One orchestrated by an unelected billionaire.
That is our future.
No payments needs to be handed Congress till Jan 20, when @realDonaldTrump takes workplace.
None.
Zero.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024
Elon Musk started to hector and publish in regards to the invoice on Wednesday. “No payments needs to be handed Congress till Jan 20, when @realDonaldTrump takes workplace. None. Zero,” he stated in a publish on X.
Rep. Marjorie Taylore Greene of Georgia, in fact, supported a authorities shutdown. “The federal government can shut down all the best way till Jan twentieth so far as I’m involved,” she stated. “AND WE MUST STAND FIRM WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO STOP THE MADNESS!!”
Thanks @newtgingrich!
I’m all in.
The federal government can shut down all the best way till Jan twentieth so far as I’m involved.
AND WE MUST STAND FIRM WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO STOP THE MADNESS!!
It doesn’t matter what.
Even when now we have to elect new management.
I’m ALL IN. https://t.co/gVA0H4Q4iU
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 19, 2024
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina obtained in on the act and posted photos of herself hovering over the large 1,500 web page persevering with decision “The final CR we did was 21 pages. This as soon as is 1,547. Let that sink in. Extra pages, extra taxpayer {dollars} flushed down the drain.”
The final CR we did was 21 pages. This as soon as is 1,547.
Let that sink in. Extra pages, extra taxpayer {dollars} flushed down the drain. pic.twitter.com/AxiBmQPlpS
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) December 18, 2024
“Right here they’re facet by facet,” she stated in a follow-up tweet that included no photograph.
By the afternoon, photos of the CR with the phrases “Kill Invoice” stylized to match the Quentin Tarantino movie had been trending on X. In a reply to a Musk publish, Nancy confirmed off an AI-generated image of herself dressed because the Bride, the hero from the movie.
Uniform Of The Day. Compliments of @CharlieWrldTV pic.twitter.com/d1OB5YJkCt
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) December 18, 2024
A thirsty reply man responded to the pretend photograph of the yellow cat-suited Mace. “I would like you to chop my arms off.”
“You’re uncontrolled,” Mace replied to her reply man, adopted by a laughing cry face emoji.
I’m glad everyone seems to be having enjoyable.
Vivek Ramaswamy, the long-winded Gallant to Musk’s shitposting Goofus on the Division of Authorities Effectivity, wrote a 400-word publish in regards to the 1,500-page spending invoice. He’d learn it, he stated, so that you don’t should. “Preserving the federal government open till March 14 will price ~$380BN by itself, however the true price of this omnibus CR is way better on account of new spending,” he stated.
I wished to learn the total 1,500+ web page invoice & communicate with key leaders earlier than forming an opinion. Having performed that, here is my view: it is filled with extreme spending, particular curiosity giveaways & pork barrel politics. If Congress desires to get severe about authorities effectivity, they…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 18, 2024
Hours late to his personal get together, Donald Trump posted on Reality Social in regards to the invoice at 6:40 PM on Wednesday. “If Republicans attempt to go a clear Persevering with Decision with out all the Democrat ‘bells and whistles’ that shall be so harmful to our Nation, all it can do, after January twentieth, is deliver the mess of the Debt Restrict into the Trump Administration, reasonably than permitting it to happen within the Biden Administration,” he stated. “Any Republican that will be so silly as to do that ought to, and can, be Primaried. Every part needs to be performed, and absolutely negotiated, previous to my taking Workplace on January twentieth, 2025.”
The saga of the CR invoice is exceptional for a number of causes, not the least of which is Trump’s notable absence from the proceedings. Musk has made himself the face of this factor. The unelected South African immigrant billionaire has come to D.C. to flex his muscular tissues and curtail authorities spending. He appears to have received the primary spherical. He did it, partially, by posting.
It’s true that authorities spending payments are filled with pork. There’s all the time carve-outs, pork barrel initiatives, and raises for the folks in energy in Washington. This Persevering with Decision was no totally different. It will have saved the lights on, but it surely additionally would have enriched the individuals who wrote the invoice.
I believe that Musk and his cohort, regardless of their claims in any other case, merely wish to change who’s enriched by the payments. Musk is sweet with cash. He is aware of the best way to extract it from the world round him. He’s not a tech genius, he’s an extraction genius. His wealth is constructed, partially, on billions of {dollars} of presidency contracts. It’s an excellent guess that, after 4 years of Trump, he’ll have extra billions and extra contracts. Not much less. And he’ll publish by means of all of it, making his followers assume he’s preventing for them as he strains his personal pockets.
On Thursday, Trump prattled on about abolishing the debt ceiling—a restrict set by Congress on the amount of money it could actually borrow to pay Washington’s payments. In an interview with NBC, Trump once more referred to as for the tip of the ceiling. “It doesn’t imply something, besides psychologically,” he stated. So. Whereas Musk was advocating for a authorities shutdown due to price overruns, Trump stumped for the elimination of a restrict on the amount of money the federal government can borrow. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren shortly jumped in to agree with Trump on abolishing the debt ceiling.
On Thursday morning, Rep. Greene referred to as for Elon Musk to grow to be speaker of the home. “DOGE can solely really be achieved by reigning in Congress to enact actual authorities effectivity. The institution must be shattered identical to it was yesterday. This might be the best way.”
