US Representative Rosa DeLauro has criticized Tesla CEO Elon Musk for intimidating and influencing Republicans, which led to the withdrawal of the previously negotiated stopgap spending bill. This comes as a potential government shutdown looms, with House Republicans and Democrats failing to reach an agreement on a short-term spending bill before Friday night’s deadline. Disagreements over spending and policy provisions have stalled negotiations.
Musk reportedly threatened to support primary challengers against Republicans who voted for the earlier spending deal, according to a FOX News report.
DeLauro, who has represented Connecticut’s 3rd congressional district since 1991, addressed Musk as “president” and claimed that Republicans were intimidated by him.
“And you know what? They got scared because President Musk told them, President Musk said don’t do it,” DeLauro said on the House floor in a fiery exchange.
DeLauro questioned Musk’s understanding of the impact of a government shutdown.
“Imagine. What does he know about what people go through when the government shuts down? Are his employees furloughed? Hell no! Is he furloughed? No!” she said.
“And when you shut the government down, people don’t get paid. And maybe if none of us got paid if the government shut down, some people on the other side of the aisle would feel differently about where we’re going in this effort,” DeLauro added.
House leaders call out Musk
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton also criticized Musk’s reported influence on Republicans, linking it to the looming shutdown. “If you’re just catching up: the Republican Party, taking orders from the world’s richest man, is on course to shut down the government over the holidays, stopping paychecks for our troops and nutrition benefits for low-income families just in time for Christmas,” she said on X.
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries rejected the revised proposal. “The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious, it’s laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown,” Jeffries said, according to FOX News.
Representative Jamie Raskin also criticized Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy‘s involvement in the spending debate, saying, “Everybody agreed” but it “was blown up by Elon Musk, who apparently has become the fourth branch of government. And that’s just an intolerable way of proceeding.” He added, “Democrats are going to try to figure out how we can salvage the public good from the wreckage that’s just been pushed,” as quoted by FOX News.
House rejects spending bill
The US House of Representatives voted down a Republican-backed spending bill on Thursday, increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown. The vote was 235-174 against the measure, which needed to pass to fund the government and suspend the debt ceiling. The deadline to avoid a shutdown is midnight on Friday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson introduced a revised continuing resolution (CR) that would extend government funding until March and suspend the debt limit for two years. However, the proposal has faced resistance from both parties.
Thirty-eight Republicans voted against the bill, indicating a division within the party. Almost all Democrats opposed it. The bill had received support from President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Lawmakers are now working to find a solution before the Friday deadline.
What’s next?
A vote on the new bill is expected in the House, but the outcome remains uncertain. If no agreement is reached, a partial government shutdown will begin on Saturday.
Over two million federal employees could face a pay freeze if the government shuts down. Government services will also be disrupted. Potential impacts include national park closures and airport delays. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has warned about possible longer wait times for holiday travelers.
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