Johnson considers spending Plan B as Elon Musk raises opposition
The Speaker of the House plans to pass a "clean" funding plan, leaving more discussion on disaster aid and more for the new year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership team is quietly discussing a Plan B to fund the government amid conservative opposition and vocal criticism from President-elect Donald Trump's top ally, Elon Musk.
The Louisiana Republican plans to eliminate $100 billion in disaster aid and other earmarks and instead pass a "clean CR" -- then address other issues in the new year, according to two Republicans familiar with the discussions. In addition to disaster aid, this would mean $30 billion in cuts to farmers and a one-year extension of the farm bill, among other things, at least for now.
Johnson has not made a final decision. But if he changes tack, it would be a boon to his right wing, which has publicly opposed the current spending bill and rekindles a lingering threat to Johnson's presidency. Many of these conservatives generally do not support stopgap spending — most of the bill's additions were designed to appease their Republican and Democratic counterparts.
Some Republicans believe Musk's criticism has emboldened even more House Republicans to oppose the spending plan that Johnson and his leaders unveiled Tuesday night. Musk, who has been tasked with cutting government spending, wrote on X that the spending bill "should not pass" and that any lawmaker who votes for it "deserves to be voted out in 2 years."
"I think it's having an effect on some people," Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) said when asked if Musk's tweets swayed votes on Capitol Hill. "I think that's probably the case."
Musk's decision to step down has frustrated some Republicans who have long viewed him as a potential ally in their mission to cut spending, something that almost all Republicans want to do. The GOP doesn't control all the levers of power until next year and is therefore limited in its ability to write spending bills that the party favors. Some Republicans are already privately complaining that Musk — while clearly a successful businessman — doesn't understand the ways of Washington, where spending bills are supposed to be bipartisan.
Democrats will be less likely to vote for a funding resolution if their hard-won concessions like disaster relief, funding for repairs to the Francis Scott Key Bridge and other provisions aren't included in the law. But some Democrats in purple districts may feel compelled to vote for the bill to keep the lights on anyway. "I was on the phone with Elon last night," Johnson said on Fox and Friends Wednesday. "Elon, Vivek [Ramaswamy] and I were writing and explaining the context of everything. And Vivek and I were talking last night, around midnight, and he said, 'Look, I get it.' He said, 'We understand that you're in an impossible situation.'" Of course, Johnson's spending plan was giving him heartburn even before Musk spoke. Conservatives have always had a problem with increased spending. "Look, I welcome Elon to this fight. I've been doing this for a long time, I came out against him yesterday," said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.).
Passing a clean spending bill won't completely solve Johnson's problems. He'll still need the help of Democrats to pass even a clean transition bill — some conservatives won't vote for it, even without the additions. But the current spending plan is drawing widespread opposition from dozens of Republicans, including some of Johnson's traditional allies. House Republicans have been openly skeptical of Johnson's ability to secure a majority on his current spending strategy, which would put him on shaky ground ahead of the Jan. 3 House speaker race
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