Washington – Republican Representative Tony Gonzales Texas compared Elon Musk to an unelected Prime Minister after Tesla CEO joins A turbulent funding fight on Capitol Hill this week raised concerns over a potential government shutdown — and previewed the dynamics under GOP-controlled Washington.
“We have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It's like Elon Musk is our prime minister,” Gonzales said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
After days of uncertainty, Congress approved a measure to keep the government funded until mid-March President Biden signed Saturday to avoid a shutdown. But the proposal comes after several failed attempts to fund the government, including a bipartisan deal that came after intense opposition from Musk, whom President-elect Donald Trump has chosen to lead a new agency called the Department of Government Efficiency. DogeAfter Musk's criticism, Trump finally delivered the final blow.
Musk, who spent $277 million to help Trump win the election and has since become a key member of the president-elect's brain trust, posted dozens of times on his social media platform X in protest. initial government financing measures After its release. A few hours later, after Trump's intervention, the deal fell through.
Gonzales, who was among 34 Republicans who opposed the last measure to keep the government funded, said he did so because his constituents were against the continuing resolution, or CR, “as much as I was against the CR. “
“It was a vote on my part to say, let's do our job,” he said, arguing that there is “a disease in DC” that will not be cured by a “big, long bill full of pork.”
The Texas Republican said he spoke to Musk twice during the week. And Gonzales argued that, although unelected, Musk has a voice that is largely “a reflection of the voice of the people.” He also argued that Trump deserves credit for reducing the bill from its initial form.
Meanwhile, the ensuing chaos in the House as well as the spending legislation drew intense criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson for his handling of the situation. At least one Republican, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, said he would not support Johnson for speaker in the new Congress, while questions swirled about his ability to maintain enough support to hold the gavel.
Despite his opposition to the legislation, Gonzales said he supported Johnson as Speaker, arguing that “he's done a fantastic job keeping us all together” and adding that “It's like wild cats in the House. “
Gonzales said Johnson “has a tough job to start with,” while the speaker's ability to find a solution with the president-elect and Musk “proves he's found a way.”