Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he spoke to billionaire Elon Musk about it 1,500-page government funding agreement after Musk expressed his opposition to the bill and that the incoming head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) understands the speaker’s “impossible” position.
Musk on Wednesday morning posted on his social platform X: “This bill should not be passed” And “Have you ever seen a larger piece of pork?”
When asked about this resistance, Johnson said he spoke with Musk and his DOGE partner Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday evening about their concerns.
“I communicated with Elon last night,” Johnson said on Fox News Wednesday morning. “Elon, Vivek [Ramaswamy] and I were in a text chain together and I explained the background of it to them. And Vivek and I were talking last night, almost midnight, and he said, ‘Look, I understand.’ He said, ‘We understand that you’re in an impossible position.’ Everyone knows that.'”
“Remember, folks, we still only have a razor-thin Republican lead. Therefore, every bill must have Democratic votes,” Johnson said. “You understand the situation. He said, “It’s not directed at you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the expense.” I said, “You know what, guys, neither do I.”
The Bill presented on Tuesday evening combines continued federal funding through March 14 with a range of additional benefits, including disaster assistance for hurricane damage and farmers; a healthcare agreement that includes reforms to the pharmacy benefit manager industry; an extension of the agricultural law; and a provision that could Set the stage for the Washington Commanders to play their home games in DC again instead of Maryland.
While many hardline conservatives had called for a stopgap measure until President-elect Trump takes office so he could pass lower funding levels than President Biden would sign into law, many Republicans have furious with Johnson beyond the number of add-ons in the invoice.
“It is not a CR, but a continuation of the budget. It’s becoming an omnibus,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Tuesday.
Johnson argued that despite the drawbacks, the bill sets the stage for more conservative spending levels under Trump.
“We have to get this done, because here is the key: by doing so, we are making everything clear and preparing for Trump to come roaring back with the ‘America First’ agenda that we will implement with enthusiasm.” “Exit “We begin the new Congress on January 3rd when Republicans are back in control,” Johnson said. “And all of our fiscally conservative friends – I’m one of them – will finally be able to do the things we’ve wanted to do for the last few years.”
