Johnson Pulls Bill After Pressure

By
Rachel Stevenson
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Elon Musk has officially added “government watchdog” to his already-packed resume, and let’s just say Congress does not love it. On Wednesday, Musk dropped a truth bomb on X (formerly Twitter), demanding that Congress hit the brakes on all legislation until January 20, when Donald Trump is sworn in and Republicans take control of both chambers. “None. Zero,” Musk tweeted, with the kind of blunt clarity that has half of D.C. scrambling for a thesaurus and the other half scrambling for a hiding spot.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect—or more chaotic. The GOP-led House and Democrat-controlled Senate are pushing a 1,547-page continuing resolution (CR) stuffed to the brim with spending, pork, and just enough “disaster aid” to make it look like a selfless act of governance. The bill includes $100 billion for disaster relief, provisions for farmers, healthcare reforms, a raise for Congress (because of course), and even funding to rebuild Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. Apparently, they thought throwing in a shiny infrastructure project would make us forget about the other 1,546 pages.

Musk wasn’t buying it. “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” he posted. And honestly, who’s arguing? The bill reads like a greatest hits album of government inefficiency, complete with “bonus tracks” that serve no one except the swamp creatures who wrote it.

The tech mogul, now freshly appointed to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Trump’s second administration, has teamed up with biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to expose the CR for what it is: a bloated monstrosity packed with special-interest handouts and bureaucratic fluff. Ramaswamy’s detailed takedown of the bill revealed more pork than a Fourth of July barbecue, including funding for the Global Engagement Center (GEC), an agency accused of operating a covert censorship program. Musk didn’t mince words, calling it “a crime against the American people.”

While Musk and Ramaswamy are rallying conservatives to block the bill, some in GOP leadership are grumbling about Musk’s interference. Fox News reported that a senior Republican leader complained Musk “is not helping. He has bigger fish to fry than picking a fight with House Republicans.” Translation: the swamp doesn’t like it when outsiders crash the party.

Meanwhile, President-elect Trump has weighed in, making it clear he’s not on board with the CR either. Fox News host Lawrence Jones confirmed that Trump called the bill “a total disaster,” aligning himself with Musk and Ramaswamy’s hardline stance against the D.C. business-as-usual approach.

Here’s the thing: Musk is absolutely right. A government shutdown isn’t the apocalyptic scenario the Left loves to pretend it is. Essential services keep running, and most Americans barely notice the difference. What’s truly catastrophic is Congress’s inability to pass clean, fiscally responsible bills without padding them with giveaways for pet projects and shady backroom deals. The CR is nothing more than a last-ditch effort by Democrats (and a few spineless Republicans) to ram through their agenda before losing power.

Musk’s demand for a legislative freeze until January 20 may sound extreme, but desperate times call for bold measures. It’s high time Congress stops passing bills for the sake of passing bills. If lawmakers can’t deliver something that reflects the will of the people—and not just the whims of lobbyists—then maybe they shouldn’t deliver anything at all.

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