Trump tries to derail bipartisan budget deal with help from Musk

WASHINGTON (AP) President-elect Donald Trump dealt a likely death blow to Congress's bipartisan budget negotiations, dismissing the measure as full of giveaways for Democrats after billionaire ally Elon Musk sparked outrage over the proposed budget. law and encouraged Republican lawmakers who announced their opposition.

Trump's joint statement Wednesday with Vice President-elect JD Vance stopped the bill in its tracks and punctuated a torrent of social media posts from Elon Musk attacking the legislation for what he described as excessive spending.

Stop the theft of your taxes! Musk wrote on his social media platform

The episode highlighted the growing political influence of Musk, whom Trump chose alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the Department of Government Effectiveness, a non-governmental task force formed to find ways to lay off federal employees, eliminate programs and reduce regulations.

AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports that President-elect Donald Trump reached a deal to keep the government funded days before the shutdown deadline.

Rep. Andy Barr, a Republican from Kentucky, said his office was flooded with calls from constituents.

My phone was ringing without answering, he said. The people who elected us listen to Elon Musk.

In his statement with Vance, Trump said Republicans should restart negotiations on the legislation, arguing that anything else would be a betrayal of our country. He also called for including an extension of the debt ceiling while President Joe Biden is in office.

Raising the debt ceiling is not a good idea, but we prefer to do it on Biden's watch, they said. If Democrats won't cooperate now on raising the debt ceiling, what makes you think they would in June under our administration? Now let's start this debate on the debt ceiling.

Trump's opposition to what was seen as must-pass legislation reinjected a sense of uncertainty and brinkmanship that was reminiscent of his first term. It was a dramatic turn of events for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who negotiated the bill and was undermined by Trump as he faces re-election to his post in just weeks. Republicans have a slim majority, raising the possibility of a repeat of the leadership conflicts that paralyzed the House a year ago.

Many lawmakers were in the middle of holiday parties and celebrations with their staffs when Trump spoke out against the legislation.

I've been here 14 years, okay? So nothing here surprises me anymore, said Rep. Steve Womack, a senior Republican from Arkansas. We shouldn't be in this mess.

The Biden administration has criticized the possibility of a shutdown.

Republicans must stop playing politics with this bipartisan deal or they will harm American workers and create instability across the country, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a veteran of budget battles in Washington, expressed concern about the lack of a clear plan to resolve the dispute.

There must be a second part of the strategy, he said.

Norquist expressed enthusiasm for Musk's ability to focus public attention on efforts to reduce the size of government. But he suggested the owner of a space rocket company was not the right person to lead a spending debate in Congress.

He doesn't know politics like he knows physics, he said.

But others were excited about Musk's involvement.

For five years in Congress, I have been waiting for a fundamental change in the dynamic, said Rep. Dan Bishop, Republican of North Carolina. He has arrived.

Musk began criticizing the measure as soon as it was released Tuesday evening, and he continued to speak out about it Wednesday.

Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years! he wrote. He also called it one of the worst bills ever written.

Musk has sometimes amplified false claims, such as the idea that the legislation included $3 billion for a new football stadium in Washington. In effect, the legislation would transfer ownership of the land from the federal government to the city, clearing the way for possible development.

Musk seemed emboldened by the experience.

The voice of the people has been heard, Musk wrote. It was a good day for America.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the consequences would be Republicans' fault.

You break the bipartisan agreement, you assume the consequences that result from it, he wrote on X.

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Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

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