Senate Democrats called billionaire Elon Musk “on Wednesday” after an initial stopgap spending deal collapsed after he and eventual President-elect Trump voiced opposition. They classified them into titles such as “co-president” and “shadow speaker.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said Musk “seems to be in charge of this country right now” and said she could influence immediate rejection of the bill despite agreement by bipartisan leaders in Congress. I reacted to the fact that I clearly had the ability to give.
If the government funding package is not passed by Congress and signed by President Biden by midnight Saturday, a partial government shutdown will occur.
As of Thursday, the US national debt is $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to increase rapidly.
Senate Republicans seek to quickly provide emergency pay to military in case of government shutdown
Elon Musk (left) is credited with withdrawing the first version of the spending bill. (Brandon Bell)
After a 1,547-page short-term spending bill was released this week. Musk was quick to criticize X, pointing out various seemingly unrelated provisions and their cost and length.
Other critics soon joined in, with Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance issuing their own statements opposing the bill.
This led to significant criticism from Democrats unhappy with Mr. Musk’s apparent ability to influence Mr. Trump and Republicans in Congress.
Top Senate Democrat throws cold water on latest Republican spending plan: ‘Ready to stay’ through Christmas
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Musk “seems like he’s in charge of this country right now.” (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“He’s the one making the decisions,” Warren told reporters.
“Elon Musk is clearly in charge of the Republican Party, and he killed that deal, so I don’t know how the Republicans are going to recover from that,” she said.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) disparaged House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and suggested that Mr. Musk was “already the shadow speaker of the House.”
Tim Scott’s Senate campaign arm staff revealed ahead of critical 2026 battleground state races
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, called Musk a “shadow speaker.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“He wasn’t elected, but I think he’s done a lot of damage,” Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock said.
He claimed that Republicans in Congress are “busy listening to Co-President Musk and Co-President Trump.”
“I’m listening to the people of Georgia, especially the farmers who are struggling to get disaster relief, and we need to make sure we get it across the finish line,” Warnock said. said.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., reiterated that Musk is not an elected official. “He has no official government job,” he said.
After the RFK JR meeting, the “Make America Healthy Again” caucus launched by Sen Marshall
Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, pointed out that Musk was not elected. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“We struck a deal with House Republicans, and now because of him, the next president is on the brink of people losing their jobs and not being paid for their vacation,” Kelly said, adding that the bill passed. He said there is a possibility of partial closure. Even after the Saturday midnight deadline, I still couldn’t get through.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Republicans pushed the idea that Trump was influenced by Musk, despite claims from his Democratic colleagues. “President Trump has a lot of people around him,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), adding that he doesn’t think Musk can control the president-elect’s actions.
Musk, along with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, was tapped to head the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory committee tasked with eliminating waste in government.
Julia Johnson is a political writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, where she leads coverage of the U.S. Senate. She previously served as a political reporter for the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia’s reporting on X. @juliaajohnson_ Send your tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
