Trump, Musk Successfully Block Massive Spending Bill with Gov’t Waste and Raises for Congress

The clock is ticking towards a possible government shutdown at midnight Friday.  A measure to keep the government open for three more months was rejected by President-elect Trump and other Republicans.  

The 1,500-page spending bill that included pay increases for members of Congress received enormous backlash from Trump who called on lawmakers to go back to the drawing board and pass a better bill before he takes office on January 20, 2025.

Likewise, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been tapped to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency, both blasted the bill for earmarking vast amounts of taxpayer dollars on frivolous items. Musk posted on “X” that “any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus also complained the bill was packed with wasteful spending.  

Democrats blasted Republicans for killing the bill at a news conference Wednesday.

“House Republicans have now unilaterally decided to break a bipartisan agreement that they made,” said House Minority Leader Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). “House Republicans will now own any harm that is visited upon the American people that results from a government shutdown or worse.” 

The bill included $100 billion in disaster relief aid for communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and other natural disasters. Some Republican lawmakers are vowing to keep these measures in the revised version. 

“I feel very strongly,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R) of North Carolina. “(If) we don’t get disaster in the bill, I’ll do everything to keep us there until we do.”

A government shutdown would mean some federal government workers could head into the holidays without paychecks, including TSA agents and air traffic controllers.  However, Social Security and Medicare recipients would still receive their benefits. 

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