As the U.S federal government tensions are running high in Washington, lawmakers are scrambling to avert disaster. The current temporary funding measure is set to expire on December 20, 2024. If a new spending bill is not passed, the government will face a shutdown just days before Christmas. A shutdown would cause federal employees to work without pay and various services to shutdown.
How We Got Here
This issue traces back to September 2024 when Congress passed a short-term CR to keep the government funded until December 20. Speaker Mike Johnson assured Republicans that they would not face a "kitchen sink" spending bill at year-end. However, the recently proposed 1,547-page bill, designed to fund the government through March 14, 2025, has reignited controversy. The bill includes provisions for disaster aid, economic relief for farmers, and even pay raises for lawmakers. These measures have drawn criticism from conservatives and opponents, notably billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump. Their rejection of the bipartisan agreement has once again thrown negotiations into chaos as Mike Johnson scrambles to draft a new bill.
Musk’s Role
Billionaire Elon Musk helped lead a revolt on Wednesday to try to stop a bipartisan funding bill, directly challenging the authority of House Speaker Mike Johnson, and other Republican leaders who helped create the bill, vowing political retribution against anyone voting for the bill. Similarly within hours, Trump joined him in condemning the measure, calling it too bloated and unaccountable. Remarkably Musk’s revolt has succeeded, throwing budget negotiations into chaos increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown this weekend.
Musk posted to X about the funding bill more than 150 times over the course of a day, repeatedly calling it “criminal” and asking his followers to call their representatives. In addition Musk has also posted memes, including one of him taking a sword to the bill and another referring to the “Kill Bill” films. Later in the day, the phrase “Kill Bill” was trending on X in the United States. His posts also included exaggerated and wildly inaccurate claims. For example, Musk alleged that the proposed congressional pay raise would be 40%, when in reality, the maximum potential pay increase for 2025 has been set at 3.8%, according to the Congressional Research Service. He additionally falsely claimed the bill funded “bioweapon labs” and a new NFL stadium in Washington, D.C.
What Happens Next?
Since then, House Republicans have scrapped the first bill, and a second version that was backed by Trump failed to secure the required votes, pushing the government closer to a shutdown. This vote that happened on Thursday evening displayed internal party divisions, with dozens of Republicans voting against the measure, while only two Democrats supported it. The final vote was 174 in favor, 235 against, and one present.
Lawmakers are racing to avoid a government shutdown when funding runs out on Friday night. The bill, which would keep the government funded through mid-March and suspend the nation's debt limit for two years, would still need approval from the Democratic-controlled Senate.
The Implications
As the clock ticks down, the outcome will set the tone for the incoming administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. Whether law makers are able to navigate the situation and come to a resolution remains to be seen, but for the American people the stakes could not be higher. Musk, despite having never been formally elected, has been called a “shadow president” and “co-president” by many. Musk’s growing political influence, amplified by his wealth, celebrity, and ownership of X, has positioned him as an unique but powerful force in shaping federal policy.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz6l9e3jq7xo
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/18/politics/government-funding-bill-congress-explainer/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/us/politics/elon-musk-politics.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-congress-trump-elon-musk/
10 comments:
Day by day, the future of our government and our country seems more and more bleak. The fact that one of the biggest billionaires in the world, one who should have little to no place in government is able to spread such misinformation without backlash, and even potentially cause a government shutdown is quite frankly terrifying. The talks of "President Musk" grow more convincing each day. He has no qualification to be abusing his power and causing such havoc in the government, and yet I fear that we will be reaching an oligarchy soon (especially looking at Trump's recent appointments). This administration will be very unstable in the future, as Trump has even tried to pass his own version in which the debt would be increased drastically, even causing some Republicans to even go against him. I fear that this case, one that involves solely the thoughts of the rich and no consideration of the people and the government, in which they are stuck only listening to each other, will set a precedent that will define the next four years. I do not know how America will be able to lessen the impact of this, yet I hope our studies on how the government has its checks and balances will prove true over the power of the President and his friends.
I feel like this is exactly what I expect from Elon Musk, and that's a bad thing. Instead of using his voice throughout the whole time that they had been making this bill to get what he, the president and the cabinet want so that it could pass on time and not have a government shutdown, instead he just decides at the end of the day that this bill is not okay despite the fact that even if you don't like the bill would you rather go to the government shutdown? This is similar to when a kid has an F in a class and on the day of the final and is like, "Can I pass?" I expected this though, he doesn't know politics he doesn't know how to play the game and how to make this work and he is gonna fail like this pretty hard when he tries to change plans last minute and we the people are gonna be the ones to pay for his failures.
Wow. I did not expect Elon Musk to be such an influential figure in politics. He is a very wealthy man but at this point that wealth appears to be getting caught up with politics. His social media activity has claims that are exaggerated which in the wrong eyes, may lead one to believe what they perceive. This clearly indicates that wealth and political power may grow over the next 4 years. It is concerning that misinformation could easily be spread by these powerful individuals. This raises questions about accountability, especially with a deadline that is only getting sooner. Hopefully, a government shutdown during the holiday season will be avoided.
It’s infuriating to see billionaires like Elon Musk wielding outsized influence over critical federal decisions, and its not something I expected at all. His antics, combined with Trump’s interference, have pushed the government to the brink of a shutdown, threatening millions of Americans during the holiday season. Meanwhile, lawmakers inability to come together and defend against Musk reflects a stunning failure of leadership. Us Americans deserve better than political chaos fueled by ego and partisanship.
Government shutdown itself is a major problem, but happening during the holiday season makes it worse. When everyone is going to the airport to reunite with their family, it is one of the busiest seasons in the year. I can’t imagine this holiday without airport transportation, but at the same time, making Transportation Security Administration workers work without pay during the busiest season is also messed up. Although people like Trump and Musk may have a say in this conversation, it is frustrating to see those who are not affected by the bill are almost like playing with people’s end of the year fortune by preventing the bill from being passed.
This is one of the major issues with media where people can easily be influenced by it. Since no one really fact checks every information they see, most users believe whatever is on the Internet without knowing whether it is true or not. It kind of ties into the elitist perspective of the elites having most of the power and influence. I hope people look at who they are getting their information from and realize that this guy is not even a politician.
It’s crazy to see how much influence Elon Musk has over something as serious as the federal budget. On one hand, he’s mobilizing a huge number of people to get involved in politics, but on the other hand, the way he’s spreading false claims, like the exaggerated pay raises and “bioweapon labs,” is really harmful. This isn’t just a social media stunt, real people are going to suffer if the government shuts down, especially during the holidays. Musk just adds fuel to the fire, and lawmakers are stuck in gridlock. While they did manage to pass something, it still feels like no one is really focused on solving the problem.
This is the problem with our current laws towards bribery and politics. Elon Musk isn’t doing anything specifically illegal, he’s just using free speech, but he is making a mockery of our political system. It's the same way that Trump used plausible deniability to not get convicted for his part in the January 6th riots.
I was thinking about how this situation could change how we view the US political power in the future. Musk’s ability to simply materialize or break major political decisions shows the power of the media and the money he has to override traditional politics in the government. If Musk’s push to stop a government bill is successful, it could inspire many other wealthy and influential figures to get directly involved in these sorts of political moves, even if they don’t have the qualifications or the public’s trust to do so. We may begin to see the normalization of such non-political figures to influence these decisions in our own government, which could in turn alter the direction of our democracy. Would we end up seeing more policies that benefit the rich? I think it's something we should monitor before it becomes too powerful, potentially hindering government progress.
Though Musk's influence is becoming a problem for our country, I think a key thing to note here is the underlying political polarization. Trump and co. first rejected a BIPARTISAN bill, which I find absolutely ridiculous - it's not mean for one political party or the other, simply for the government to continue functioning - and then when another bipartisan bill is trying to be created, Musk uses his power and influence on social media to revolt against a bill for both sides. Furthermore, Trump and Musk try to create their own second version, which is heavily opposed by Democrats. The lack of compromise and extremism is outstanding, and could be the one of the major factors to look out for in the coming future, especially with the rise of Elon.
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