The continuing resolution “should not pass,” Musk posted on X.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on Wednesday that he spoke with tech executive Elon Musk about the new continuing resolution (CR) aimed at preventing a government shutdown by the end of the week. The CR includes numerous additions.
The stopgap measure proposes funding through March 14, 2025, along with over $100 billion in disaster aid. It also includes provisions for boosting agricultural support, healthcare reform, rebuilding Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, a pay raise for Congress, and other initiatives.
Musk, who is expected to play a key role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under a second Trump administration to devise strategies for reducing wasteful spending, criticized the bill on X. In response to an image showing the 1,547-page measure, he commented, “Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?” Some lawmakers, including conservative members, have also voiced concerns about the bill.
During an interview on FOX & Friends, Johnson disclosed that he spoke with Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday night. Ramaswamy has also been tapped to lead DOGE initiatives.
“I was communicating with Elon last night,” Johnson said. “Elon and Vivek and I are on a text chain together, and I was explaining to them the background of this, and Vivek and I talked last night at about almost midnight, and he said, ‘Look, I get it.’ He said, ‘We understand you’re in an impossible position. Everybody knows that.’”
A divided Congress has relied on multiple continuing resolutions (CRs) in recent years, including last September when lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on spending bills through the normal appropriations process. However, during the interview, Johnson indicated that this pattern might soon change, as Republicans are set to take control of the House, Senate, and White House next month.
“Remember guys, we still have just a razor thin margin of Republicans. So, any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation,” the speaker said. “They said, it’s not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending. I said, guess what, fellas, I don’t either. We’ve got to get this done because here’s the key: by doing this, we are clearing the decks, and we are setting up for Trump to come in roaring back with the America First agenda. That’s what we’re going to run with gusto, beginning January 3, when we start the new Congress when Republicans again are in control.”
Johnson emphasized that fiscal conservatives like himself will “finally do the things that we’ve been wanting to do for the last couple of years” in the upcoming term, once Democrats no longer control the Senate. He stated, “So, we have to get this thing done so we don’t have the shutdown, so we get the short-term funding measure, and we get to March where we can put our fingerprints on the spending. That’s when the big changes start. And we can’t wait to get there.”
The conservative House Freedom Caucus outlined its demands for moving forward with what it referred to as the “Cramnibus” in a post on X. These included “a full 72 hours to read” the CR, a vote on the DOGE Act to “cut non-defense spending 13% to pre-COVID 2019 levels,” and halting President Joe Biden’s “fire sale of border wall construction materials,” as reported by The Daily Wire.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) expressed support for the CR in a statement, saying he was “pleased” that it was “free of cuts and poison pills, while also securing Democratic priorities.” During a press conference on Tuesday, Johnson described the CR as “simple” but stressed the importance of addressing hurricane disasters and aiding struggling farmers.
