Co-leaders of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are circling the wagons against a stopgap spending bill that has angered conservatives in Congress.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted Wednesday afternoon that “@DOGE is a deceitful, pork belly politician” as Republican lawmakers consider how best to fund CR. The waste and corruption will never stop unless we end his career,” wrote X. government.
“So that’s the only way. I wish there was another way, but there isn’t.”
As of Wednesday, the U.S. national debt (a measure of how much U.S. taxpayers pay the nation’s creditors) stood at $36,189,345,826,140.62 and is growing at a rapid pace, with no signs of slowing down. I can’t see it. Additionally, the federal government’s budget deficit totaled $1.834 trillion in the recently ended fiscal year, making it the third largest in U.S. history.
Former Republican presidential candidate and DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy has also been a vocal critic of the bill, suggesting in Wednesday’s X-Post that Republicans should introduce a simple one-page resolution.
Demand for state government agencies to spend money on charges of censoring and blacklisting Americans
Elon Musk, newly announced co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives at the Capitol in Washington, DC on December 5, 2024. Vivek Ramaswamy, chairman and co-founder of Strive Asset Management, arrives to meet with members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on Thursday, December 5, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Left: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, Right: (Al Drago)/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Yes, it is *possible* to enact a simple one-page continuing resolution instead of a 1,500+ page omnibus pig fest,” Ramaswamy wrote. “here it is.:”
Ramaswamy continued: “This is what a clean CR looks like. I still don’t like it because it allows historic overspending to continue, but at the very least it shouldn’t pile more waste on top.” said.
Musk, a Republican who spent part of the afternoon voicing his opposition to the bill, posted a video of Ramaswamy opposing the bill and urging people to “stop stealing your taxes” and call their representatives. I reposted the comments of elected officials.
“Thank you!” Musk said Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna voted in favor of the “Cramnibus bill,” citing “billions of dollars to Ukraine, mask and vaccine mandates, and deep state immunity.” I posted this in response to the fact that I said I would not pitch.
Founding members of the Doge Caucus introduce two bills to begin waste reduction during Trump’s term
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) speaks with reporters at the Capitol after the final vote of the week, Thursday, September 12, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“I will continue to fight for a standalone disaster relief bill,” Luna wrote.
In a previous post on X, Musk wrote, “Any Representative or Senator who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out within two years!” Mr. Musk wrote about X.
Congressional leaders released the text of the 1,547-page CR on Tuesday night after last-minute negotiations postponed its originally scheduled Sunday release. Since then, there has been intense pushback from conservatives and hardline House Republicans, many of whom are unhappy that the bill comes with unrelated policy riders rather than a “clean” extension of government funding.
SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks at the America PAC Town Hall on October 26, 2024 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
The final package extends existing government programs and services at their current operating levels for several more months, through March 14, 2025.
Congress’s failure to pass an annual spending bill to fund all of the federal government’s various agencies, from the Defense Department and national security agencies to health, human services, transportation, and other routine domestic services. Therefore, emergency measures are required. When the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Congress only avoided the problem by passing a temporary funding bill that expires on Friday.
“There’s talk now that they’re trying to repeal the CR and create a ‘clean’ bill,” Fox News senior Congressional correspondent Chad Pergram said Wednesday afternoon. It is unclear whether they will do so.”
Suspending the 1,500-page spending package and forcing a vote on a clean bill would be a major victory for DOGE and its supporters, who have been vocal about changing the way government spending bills are handled.
“This bill goes against the very existence of @DOGE,” Republican Rep. Chip Roy’s media office wrote on X. “The @HouseGOP should vote no. Miss Christmas if you have to.”
Pergram posted on X on Wednesday that the bill “is gaining support from Republicans.”
A member of the House Republican leadership told Fox that Elon Musk is ‘not helping’ when it comes to telling members of Congress that they should vote everyone out within two years. “He has bigger things to do than pick a fight with House Republicans,” Pergram wrote.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 28: U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) attends a press conference on the debt limit and Freedom Caucus spending cuts plan at the U.S. Capitol on March 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. . A group of conservative Republican lawmakers is proposing deep cuts to entitlement spending, including repealing much of President Joe Biden’s signature anti-inflation law. ((Photo credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images))
The names of potential candidates to replace Johnson in the next parliament are being floated, Fox News Digital reported, as Johnson has difficulty reaching an agreement with the minority majority in the House of Commons.
Fox News anchor Lawrence Jones reported late Wednesday afternoon that President-elect Trump “acknowledged” that Prime Minister Johnson was in a precarious position, but was “totally opposed” to CR.
Speaking on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, Johnson said that while government debt and deficits are a concern, Republicans need to approve “short-term emergency funding” while Democrats still control the White House and the Senate. He said there is.
“We are focused on this and we will be able to scale up when the new Congress begins in January with Republicans in control and DOGE working on all six cylinders. “It will boost the size and scope of government.”
Johnson also said the measure would ensure the party has control over spending into 2025, which he described as an “impossible position”.
“This is the sausage making process,” he added.
The House speaker also revealed that he has been exchanging text messages with DOGE leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Elon Musk is one of Trump’s allies pushing House Republicans led by Speaker Mike Johnson to vote on the Kids Online Safety Act (Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Remember, everyone, we still have a narrow Republican margin, so any bill needs Democratic votes. They understand the situation,” Johnson texted. Referring to the exchange, he said:
If Republicans are unable to muster the necessary votes or gain enough support from Democrats to force passage despite internal opposition, the country will be called up to the executive branch on Friday night. will face closure.
Retired Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said, “What does President Trump want the Republican Party to do? Vote for CR or shut down the government? Without direction, chaos will spread.” ” he said in a sly post to X.
Late Wednesday afternoon, President Trump said in a statement: “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government if we don’t give them everything they want, call their bluff.”
Musk referenced the possibility of shutting down Company X, writing, “Shut down the government (which by the way doesn’t actually shut down any essential functions) is much better than passing a horrible bill.” .
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Liz Elkind, Nikolas Lanum and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter for FOX News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email your tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
Source link
