Here’s what’s in the spending bill that’s drawing the ire of Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy
Congressional leadership introduced a new legislation on Wednesday that aimed to delay the government funding deadline, pushing it back until March to allow for more time to create a long-term budget plan for fiscal year 2025. However, the bill quickly met its demise only hours after it was unveiled. This led to the involvement of Trump-aligned conservatives like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, with Musk even threatening to back a primary challenge against any Republican member of Congress who supported the bill.
President-elect Trump also spoke out against the legislation, expressing his opposition to it and insisting that any spending deal must address the debt ceiling before he takes office. By doing so, he hopes to avoid the hassle of dealing with this issue once he assumes the presidency.
The proposed legislation, known as a continuing resolution (CR), contained 1,500 pages of policy and funding riders. One of the provisions that sparked outrage and prompted Musk and Ramaswamy to intervene was a nearly 4% pay raise for lawmakers, amounting to an extra $6,600 per year on top of their $174,000 salary. Some argued that this raise was unwarranted, while others expressed concerns about the optics of increasing lawmakers’ salaries.
Another controversial provision in the bill was the exemption of members of Congress from participating in the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare. Instead, they would have the option to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, while their staff would still be required to participate in ObamaCare.
Additionally, the legislation included $100 billion for disaster relief, with a focus on helping victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. It also allocated $8 billion for the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which collapsed earlier in the year. Some conservatives questioned why the federal government should bear the entire cost of rebuilding a privately owned and tolled bridge.
The bill also proposed allowing year-round sales of gasoline with ethanol content up to 15%, a provision that was supported by the corn and ethanol industries but opposed by some southern Republicans from oil-producing states.
Furthermore, the legislation sought to reauthorize the Global Engagement Center (GEC), a State Department agency that Republicans accused of suppressing free speech and manipulating the media. Musk had previously criticized the GEC for its censorship practices and described it as a threat to democracy.
In addition to these key provisions, the bill included other riders and handouts, such as reauthorizing the farm bill for a year and providing $21 billion in disaster relief to farmers. Most conservatives agreed on the importance of these measures but felt that they should be voted on separately rather than being attached to the CR.
Overall, the proposed legislation faced significant opposition from various quarters, ultimately leading to its demise. The controversy surrounding the bill highlighted the challenges of reaching consensus on government funding issues and the importance of addressing key policy priorities in a transparent and accountable manner.
