Speaker Reveals Conversation With Musk About Stopgap Bill Packed With Add-Ons

On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said that he spoke to tech executive Elon Musk about the new continuing resolution (CR) to avert a government shutdown by the end of the week, which includes many additions.

The stopgap measure seeks to provide funds through March 14, 2025, and more than $100 billion in disaster aid. It also has provisions geared toward boosting farmers, healthcare reform, rebuilding Maryland’s devastated Francis Scott Key Bridge, a pay raise for Congress, and more.

Musk, who is slated to help lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the second Trump administration to devise a plan to reduce wasteful spending, said on X that the bill “should not pass.” In response to a photo showing a stack of the 1,547-page measure, he posted, “Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?” Some lawmakers, including conservative members, have also expressed dismay with the bill.

During an interview on Fox News, Johnson revealed that he spoke on Tuesday night with Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who has also been tasked with heading DOGE.

“I was communicating with Elon last night,” Johnson said. “Elon and Vivek and I are on a text chain together, and I was explaining to them the background of this, and Vivek and I talked last night at about almost midnight, and he said, ‘Look, I get it.’ He said, ‘We understand you’re in an impossible position. Everybody knows that.'”

A divided Congress has leaned on multiple CRs in recent years, including last September, when lawmakers failed to agree on spending bills under the normal appropriations process. However, Johnson suggested during the interview that the trend could soon end, with Republicans taking control of the House, Senate, and White House next month.

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“Remember guys, we still have just a razor thin margin of Republicans. So, any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation,” the speaker said. “They said, it’s not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending. I said, guess what, fellas, I don’t either. We’ve got to get this done because here’s the key: by doing this, we are clearing the decks, and we are setting up for Trump to come in roaring back with the America First agenda. That’s what we’re going to run with gusto, beginning January 3, when we start the new Congress when Republicans again are in control.”

Johnson insisted that fiscal conservatives such as himself will “finally do the things that we’ve been wanting to do for the last couple of years” in the new term once Democrats no longer have command of the Senate. He added, “So, we have to get this thing done so we don’t have the shutdown, so we get the short-term funding measure, and we get to March where we can put our fingerprints on the spending. That’s when the big changes start. And we can’t wait to get there.”

In a post to X, the conservative House Freedom Caucus shared demands for moving forward with what it called the “Cramnibus,” including “a full 72 hours to read” the read the CR, a vote on the DOGE Act “to cut non-defense spending 13% to pre-COVID 2019 levels,” and stopping President Joe Biden’s “fire sale of border wall construction materials” that was reported by The Daily Wire.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) touted the CR in a statement, saying he was “pleased” with the measure being “free of cuts and poison pills, while also securing Democratic priorities.” In a press conference on Tuesday, Johnson said the CR was intended to be “simple,” but it was “important” to address hurricane disasters and help struggling farmers.