Led by billionaires who have been appointed by Donald Trump to wield massive influence over his incoming administration, Republican members of Congress are rejecting a last-ditch spending bill just days before a possible government shutdown.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has had to reach across the aisle for Democratic assistance to pass the continuing resolution legislation ahead of Friday, the last day before funding dries up. But hard-line Republicans in his own party have voiced their opposition to the bill, which contains economic aid for those hit by recent hurricanes and some relief for farmers.
It looks like they’re taking their cues from the likes of failed presidential candidate and billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump appointed to lead the advisory (and completely unofficial) Department of Government Efficiency alongside multibillionaire Elon Musk. The obscenely wealthy duo wants the bill killed.
In a TikTok video, Ramaswamy claimed that he read the entirety of the 1,500-page bill released Tuesday night “that blows away your taxpayer money.”
“Real-time advice to Congress: go back to the drawing board, start with a blank slate & do this the right way,” Ramswamy later wrote.
Musk also voiced his displeasure with the bill Tuesday, writing, “This bill should not pass.”
In a Wednesday morning appearance on Fox News, Johnson disclosed that he had been involved in a text chain with Musk and Ramaswamy overnight, trying to assuage their concerns over the legislation. Following that conversation, both billionaires have continued to attack the bill. Ramaswamy has even posted what he says should be a one-page “clean” funding bill that isn’t a “pork-fest” like the current legislation.
Echoing the billionaires, Texas Sen. John Cornyn asked, “How on earth did a 3 month Continuing Resolution grow into this Cramnibus.” In response, Musk called it “a nightmare bill.”
“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 separate post. Musk spent at least $250 million to help elect Trump and has said he will put more of his immense fortune into molding the Republican Party in his image.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene jumped on the bandwagon, writing, “I agree with @elonmusk and @VivekGRamaswamy 100% on the CR!”
Similarly, Florida Rep. Kat Cammack said she was against the bill and claimed the deal is “doing credible damage” to the party.
Incredibly, even Trump is now reportedly expressing his opposition to the bill, according to Axios, while Politico reports that Johnson is already weighing a spending Plan B—which leads one to wonder who is truly wielding the most influence over the GOP.
Not only is the current rebellion a headache for Johnson’s immediate concerns about the bill passing, but it could hurt his bid to be reelected speaker in January, when Congress reconvenes.
Rep. Thomas Massie told reporters that he will not vote for Johnson, and if others follow suit the process could echo the multiple rounds of voting that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy had to endure.
The billionaires have made their demands known and some of the Republican Party’s most prominent figures are giving them what they want—even if working-class Americans have to suffer the consequences.
