Musk's Clout Shows in Spending-Bill Feud

SpaceX founder threatens to unseat Republicans who back Johnson’s deal

- KEN THOMAS

With a 4:15 a.m. ET social-media post on Wednesday, Elon Musk declared that a must-do spending bill "should not pass." By early evening, the bill was dead, leaving the government barreling toward a weekend shutdown just before Christmas.

Lawmakers who might have underestimated Musk's ability to shake up Washington were suddenly having second thoughts.

Over the course of Wednesday, Musk pressed for Congress to kill the bill. He encouraged his more than 200 million followers on X, the social-media platform that he owns, to call their representatives to vote against it, and he warned that Republicans who voted for it should lose their congressional seats in two years.

He also said Congress shouldn't pass any more legislation until President-elect Donald Trump takes office, which would ensure a partial government shutdown until Jan. 20.

"Stop the steal of your tax dollars!" he posted on X. "Call your elected representatives now. They are trying to railroad this thing through today!"

The full force of Musk's pressure campaign was on display all day Wednesday before Trump weighed in to oppose the bipartisan deal struck by congressional leaders, underscoring that Musk's influence on government spending and policy appeared to be much greater than initially envisioned.