Elon Musk, Donald Trump’s pick to hack away at frivolous government spending, has publicly slammed Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s nearly 1,600-page funding plan.
The super-sized bill is a continuing resolution (CR) to extend government funding until March, basically kicking the issue down the road three months.
But it’s being met with heavy headwinds from disgruntled Republicans and members of Trump’s incoming Cabinet.
Billionaire Musk, who is heading up Trump’s DOGE agency with Vivek Ramaswamy, is leading the charge to slap down the bill he calls a ‘piece of pork.’
He went so far as to threaten any Republican who votes for the measure, saying they’ll be fired from Congress next election.
‘Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!’
Attached to the package is over $100 billion relief aid to help states reeling from disastrous hurricanes Milton and Helene.
It also provides farmers with assistance, approves cash for submarines, and helps with other disasters.
But Musk is taking issue with a provision to bump up members of Congress’ pay from $174,000 – a level set in 2009 – to $243,300 per year and other measures.
‘How can this be called a ‘continuing resolution’ if it includes a 40 percent pay increase for Congress?’ he questioned.
After the bill’s details were released on Tuesday night, Speaker Johnson, Musk and Vivek reportedly spoke about the contents in a group chat.
Then, after discussing the CR with the speaker, Musk, a close ally of Trump’s, began publicly deriding the Johnson’s plan that is also facing backlash from Republicans.
‘Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?’ Musk posted on X alongside a photo of the printed out spending plan, which pilled up stood taller than a can of Diet Coke.
‘This bill should not pass,’ he said in another tweet.
In another post Wednesday morning the X owner re-posted a proposal that suggested Congress should be forced to release bill details a week before voting on them. ‘Agreed!’ Musk wrote.
On Fox News Wednesday morning, after some of Musks barbs, Johnson addressed the criticism, noting how he was talking to the co-chairs via text last night about the CR.
‘I was communicating with Elon last night. Elon and Vivek and I are on the text chain together, and I was explaining to them the background of this,’ the speaker began.
‘They say, ‘This is not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending.’ I said, guess what fellas? I don’t either,’ Johnson said.
The Republican leader recounted how Ramaswamy admitted Johnson was ‘in an impossible position’ and the speaker said he will be forced to rely on Democratic votes to get the CR passed.
‘We gotta get this thing done so we don’t have the shutdown… and we get to March where we can put our fingerprints on the spending,’ Johnson continued. ‘That’s when the big changes start.’
DOGE co-chair Ramaswamy also posted about the CR following its release Tuesday.
‘Currently reading the 1,547-page bill to fund the government through mid-March. Expecting every U.S. Congressman & Senator to do the same,’ he posted on X.
Many conservative Republicans have expressed their dismay with the final CR, one likening it to a ‘dumpster fire’ while another called it a ‘crap sandwich.’
Republican leadership is currently deciding on a time to bring the CR up for a vote, though when remains unclear.
The unpopular decision by Johnson will surely be top of mind when Republicans vote on who they want their next speaker to be come January.
Johnson has been thought to be a shoe-in to the role after Trump recently signaled his support of the Republican leader.
But now with Musk’s dissatisfaction hardline conservatives will have more ammo to use against the speaker should they mount an attack on his grip on the gavel next year.