Key Trump ally comes out against massive emergency spending plan: 'This bill should not pass'
Billionaire and key Trump ally Elon Musk came out in opposition to House Speaker Mike Johnson's proposed bill to keep the government funded on Wednesday.
Musk attacked the bill on social media, arguing the 1,547-page document is full of "pork." The legislation is designed to avoid a Friday government shutdown and fund the government through March.
"This bill should not pass," Musk wrote bluntly on X.
Republican congressional leaders have defended their plan for a stopgap spending bill, arguing it would allow President-elect Trump to have a greater influence on spending when the question comes up again in the spring.
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Vivek Ramaswamy, another ally of Trump, expressed skepticism of the bill Tuesday night, but did not oppose it outright.
"Currently reading the 1,547-page bill to fund the government through mid-March. Expecting every U.S. Congressman & Senator to do the same," Ramaswamy wrote on X.
Trump himself has not weighed in on the budget battle, but several GOP lawmakers had expressed skepticism of a large funding package earlier this week.
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"We talked with the speaker up until this weekend, the only discussion was ‘How long is this clean CR going to be?’ And suddenly we find out – I heard rumors over the weekend – they’re negotiating with a health care package that included PBM stuff," Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital before the bill released on Tuesday.
"PBM stuff" refers to a provision in the bill lessening the influence of pharmacy benefit managers.
Johnson has given lawmakers three days to read the bill, setting up a vote for Friday. He has argued that the bill's massive bulk is due to natural disasters and other incidents that must be paid for but are out of the government's control, rather than the omnibus spending plans of previous years.
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The bill includes $100 billion in disaster relief for Hurricanes Milton and Helene, as well as $8 billion for the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The GOP currently holds just a one-seat majority in the House, meaning Johnson will likely have to rely on Democratic votes to pass the bill. The legislation must also pass the Senate by the Friday deadline to avoid a shutdown.
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.