Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have sharply criticized the stopgap spending deal, urging all members of Congress to reject the bill, which they claim will result in excessive spending. The deal, which was introduced days before the December 20 shutdown deadline, aims to extend government funding and push the decision-making on next year’s budget to the next Congress and president.
Ramaswamy highlighted the high costs associated with the bill, noting that keeping the government open until March 14 would cost around $380 billion, but the true price tag is much higher when factoring in new spending measures. These include the renewal of the Farm Bill at $130 billion, disaster relief at $100 billion, and stimulus for farmers at $10 billion. Additionally, he criticized the bill for adding at least 65 cents in new spending for every dollar of continued discretionary spending.
Ramaswamy warned that the spending would ultimately harm the very people it is meant to help, arguing that it would lead to higher taxes, foreign land purchases by farmers, and increased national debt. He also criticized the rushed passage of the bill, calling it a manufactured urgency to avoid public debate, as Congress had been aware of the deadline since September.
Elon Musk echoed Ramaswamy’s sentiments, bluntly stating, “This bill should not pass,” and posted a photo mocking the enormous size of the 1,547-page bill. He encouraged people to make their views known to elected representatives.
Ramaswamy also criticized the bill’s lengthy length, claiming that it was intentionally made difficult to read. In a video, he pointed out that buried within the bill are provisions for pay raises for Congress members, expanded federal health benefits, and pork funding for various special interests, including a new stadium in Washington DC. Despite supporting the disaster relief efforts, Ramaswamy said the bill was filled with unnecessary and wasteful spending.
