Trump calls for authorities shutdown after Elon Musk rants over stopgap funding invoice | EUROtoday

Sign up for the every day Inside Washington e mail for unique US protection and evaluation despatched to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington e mail

Get our free Inside Washington e mail

President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance have demanded that Republicans within the House and Senate successfully pressure the federal authorities to close down reasonably than cross a stopgap funding invoice that may have stored companies working at present funding ranges by the top of March 2025.

In a press release posted to X (previously Twitter) by Vance, the incoming president and vice chairman groused that the invoice doesn’t increase the nation’s statutory debt ceiling and accused legislators of “considering a spending bill that would give sweetheart provisions for government censors and for Liz Cheney” as a result of the persevering with decision drafted by House Speaker Mike Johnson and his management staff would have stored the chief department from utilizing a loophole within the legislation to acquire telephone and different communications data from members of Congress and aides who’re imagined to be protected by congressional immunity.

They additionally complained in regards to the invoice not declining an annual pay improve for members of Congress who haven’t gotten a increase in almost twenty years, and urged passage of “a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want.”

“Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” they mentioned, including a baseless accusation that it’s President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and different Democrats who’re holding up passage of the funding invoice, which incorporates billions in catastrophe reduction and help to farmers.

“If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF,” they mentioned.

The transfer by Trump and Vance in opposition to the stopgap funding invoice comes lower than three days earlier than the federal government is about to expire of cash. It additionally adopted an hours-long stream of ranting X posts by Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, who threatened to fund main challengers in opposition to and Republican who supported the invoice that had been drafted and put forth by Republican leaders within the GOP-controlled House.

Musk downplayed the implications of shutting down the federal government in a put up on X.

““Shutting down” the federal government (which doesn’t truly shut down essential features btw) is infinitely higher than passing a horrible invoice,” he mentioned.

Musk additionally quote-tweeted a put up saying that the federal government must be closed till January 20, when Trump can be sworn in.

The Tesla government who additionally served as a significant funder of Trump’s marketing campaign and whom the president-elect tapped to guide a Department of Government Efficiency, additionally threatened that lawmakers who would vote for the invoice would lose their jobs.

“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”

The transfer despatched Congress into chaos, with the House suspending votes till Thursday. For most the negotiations, Trump stayed principally silent, which prompted Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah to criticize Trump.

“President Trump has comments on almost everything going on around the world,” he advised The Independent. “We have a big vote coming up this week. What would he like us to do?”

The authorities was set to expire of cash this week. If Congress doesn’t act, the federal government would go right into a shutdown the place all however the fundamental providers can be slashed, together with navy pay.

Democrats presently management the Senate however are set at hand over management to the Republicans on January third. Musk’s name would basically ask the federal government to solely reopen as soon as Trump has assumed management, which means the federal government can be closed for 33 days.