Donald Trump has broken his silence on Republican Chairman Mike Johnson’s 1,600-page government funding plan, urging GOP lawmakers to remain steadfast in the face of a possible shutdown.
In a statement from Trump and new Vice President JD Vance, the pair finally shared their thoughts on the Speaker’s spending plan after close ally Elon Musk fully attacked the measure.
Throughout the day on Wednesday, Musk ridiculed Johnson’s Continuing Resolution (CR), an emergency measure to extend government funding until March. If the funding is not approved by Saturday, the government could be partially shut down.
But Trump told Republicans not to worry about that.
“Republicans need to get smart and tough,” Trump and Vance’s statement said. “If the Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, call their bluff.”
The Republican duo also outlined how they want Johnson to move forward, indicating they want a “clean CR,” a bill without additional policymakers like disaster relief, money to combat growing Chinese influence and raises for members of Congress who are in the current version. .
“We must pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want,” Trump and Vance said.
However, another overarching proposal made in the statement was that incoming Republicans want Congress to address the debt ceiling.
Donald Trump has released a statement indicating he agrees to a government shutdown
Elon Musk is on a crusade against Republican Chairman Mike Johnson’s massive government spending package
On January 1, 2025, the debt ceiling will be reinstated after being suspended in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.
It means Trump and his administration will have limits on how much they can ask Congress to spend right out of the gate.
“The most foolish and inept thing Republicans in Congress have ever done was allowing our country to reach the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed,” their statement began.
“Raising the debt ceiling isn’t great, but we’d rather do it under Biden’s watch,” they continued. “If Democrats won’t work on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would in June, during our administration?”
In addition to expressing their distaste for Johnson’s bill, they are also asking him to negotiate with Democrats to raise or further suspend the legal limit on the amount of debt the federal government can take on.
The super-sized CR touted by Johnson, meanwhile, extends government funding until March, effectively putting the issue aside for three months.
But it faces stiff headwinds from disgruntled Republicans and members of Trump’s new cabinet.
Billionaire Musk, who heads Trump’s DOGE agency with Vivek Ramaswamy, is leading the charge to shoot down the bill he calls a “piece of pork.”
He even went so far as to threaten any Republican who votes for the measure by saying he will be fired from Congress in the next election.
The 1,547-page CR is longer than most religious texts, such as the Bible, and when stacked one sheet at a time, the bill towers over a regular can of Diet Coke. Elon Musk labels the CR as wasteful ‘pork’
Following the unveiling of a massive spending bill Tuesday night, many Republicans decried the Mike Johnson administration’s financing plan
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from left, walks with Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, carrying his son to discuss President Donald Trump. ), on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, December 5, 2024
“Every member of the House of Representatives or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in two years!” he wrote on X.
Later, Musk wrote the successfully killed bill: “Your elected representatives heard you and now the terrible bill is dead. The voice of the people has triumphed!’
The package includes more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states dealing with the disastrous hurricanes Milton and Helene.
It also provides relief to farmers, approves money for submarines and helps with other disasters.
But Musk disagrees with a provision to increase salaries of members of Congress from $174,000 (a level set in 2009) to $243,300 per year and other measures.
“How can this be called a ‘continuing resolution’ if it includes a 40 percent pay increase for Congress?” he asked.
After details of the bill were released Tuesday evening, Speakers Johnson, Musk and Vivek reportedly discussed its contents in a group chat.
Then, after discussing the CR with the speaker, Musk, a close Trump ally, began publicly mocking Johnson’s plan, which is also facing backlash from Republicans.
“Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?” Musk posted on X next to a photo of the printed spending plan, which was larger than a can of Diet Coke.
“This bill should not be passed,” he said in another tweet.
In another post Wednesday morning, the “Agreed!” Musk wrote.
On Fox News Wednesday morning, following some of Musk’s barbs, Johnson addressed the criticism, noting how he spoke to the co-chairs via text last night about the CR.
“I was in touch with Elon last night. Elon, Vivek and I are in the text chain together and I explained the background to this to them,” the speaker began.
Musk posted numerous messages Wednesday morning disparaging Johnson’s CR
Billions of dollars within the CR are intended to assist with disaster relief following the damage from Hurricane Helene, shown above
“They say, ‘This isn’t directed at you, Mr. Chairman, but we don’t like the expenditure.’ I said, guess what guys? Me neither,” Johnson said.
The Republican leader recounted how Ramaswamy admitted Johnson was “in an impossible position” and the speaker said he will be forced to rely on Democratic votes to get the CR passed.
“We have to get this done so that we don’t have a shutdown… and we get to March where we can put our fingerprints on spending,” Johnson continued. ‘Then the big changes begin.’
DOGE Co-Chairman Ramaswamy also posted about the CR after its release Tuesday.
‘I am currently reading the 1,547-page bill to fund the government until mid-March. He expected every U.S. Congressman and Senator to do the same,” he posted on X.
Many conservative Republicans have expressed displeasure with the final CR, with one comparing it to a “dumpster fire” while another called it a “crap sandwich.”
Republican leaders are currently deciding on a time when the CR will be put to a vote, but when remains unclear.
Johnson’s unpopular decision will certainly be top of the agenda when Republicans vote in January on who they want as their next president.
Johnson is thought to be playing a role after Trump recently expressed his support for the Republican leader.
But with Musk’s discontent, hardline conservatives will have more ammunition to use against the speaker when they mount an attack on his grip on the gavel next year.