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Elon Musk against shutdown deal: ‘It must not pass’

Entrepreneur opposes deal between Republicans and Democrats on government spending bill, putting Speaker Mike Johnson in trouble

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, urged his 207 million followers to oppose the government spending deal reached overnight between Republicans and Democrats, calling it ‘a Christmas tree bill’ due to excessive unnecessary spending. Musk, who played a pivotal role in Donald Trump’s election victory and enjoys great influence with the president-elect, declared: ‘This bill must not pass’, positioning himself alongside far-right MPs opposed to the deal.

Musk’s position could complicate the path of Speaker Mike Johnson, who negotiated the deal to avoid a shutdown of the federal government. In an interview with Fox News, Johnson confirmed that he had discussed the criticism with Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, another billionaire close to Trump, pointing out that they shared concerns about government spending.

The agreement provides for an interim bill valid until 14 March, to allow the new Republican-dominated Congress and President Trump to plan government funding for the rest of the year. Included in the 1,500-page agreement is 100 billion for post-hurricane emergency relief and 10 billion for farmer assistance.

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