WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — President-elect Donald Trump delivered a severe blow to bipartisan budget negotiations, rejecting the proposed bill as filled with “giveaways to Democrats.” His decision came after a flurry of social media posts from Elon Musk, a close ally and influential billionaire, who sharply criticized the legislation, calling it excessive and urging Republicans to oppose it. This pressure by Musk on lawmakers, which also included threats of primary challenges, pushed GOP opposition to the point where Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance issued a joint statement denouncing the measure.
The budget bill, which was negotiated by House Speaker Mike Johnson, was supposed to prevent a government shutdown, but Trump’s opposition has thrown its future into doubt. Trump and Vance called for renegotiating the bill, particularly emphasizing the need to address the debt ceiling while President Joe Biden remains in office. They argued that if Democrats refuse to cooperate now, they would likely resist any debt ceiling negotiations during the next administration.
This led to widespread resistance within the GOP, underpinning his growing political muscle. Musk’s posts that ranged from “Stop the steal of your tax dollars,” resonated with several of the conservative lawmakers; he was being praised for stopping the bill. Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina noted in an interview that he views this as a welcome turn of events in Congress.
However, Grover Norquist, among other experts, had concerns regarding Musk’s political inexperience. He stated that, although his campaign for lower government spending drew much attention, a more specific plan is required to maneuver in the intricate battles of Washington’s budget.
The Biden administration criticized the move, warning of potential instability and harm to everyday Americans if the budget deal collapses. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre urged Republicans to avoid political gamesmanship and work toward a solution.
But now, the hours are ticking down for what is increasingly looking like an uncertain future for that budget bill – the potential results range from government shutdown to another round of brinkmanship as familiar as President Trump’s first term, and into new year may strain House Speaker Johnson’s position while putting the Republicans’ unity on the spot.
