Elon Musk Is Shutting Down the Government Because Elon Musk is a Moron

An unelected oligarch appears to have more power over the US political system than Donald Trump, and Congress.

Image: Brandon Bell/Pool via AP Photo

by Ben Cohen

We are on the verge of a surprise government shutdown because the world’s richest man wants to show the political establishment how much power he has. Here’s how Elon Musk managed to bring Washington to its knees (from the NYTimes):

In more than 150 separate posts on X, starting before dawn on Wednesday, Mr. Musk demanded that Republicans back away from a bipartisan spending deal that was meant to avoid a government shutdown over Christmas. He vowed political retribution against anyone voting for the sprawling bill backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called Mr. Musk on Wednesday to ask that he stop posting about the bill.

Mr. Musk also shared misinformation about the bill, including false claims that it contained new aid for Ukraine or $3 billion in funds for a new stadium in Washington. By the end of Wednesday, Mr. Trump issued a statement of his own, calling the bill “a betrayal of our country.”

This is an insane predicament. An unelected oligarch appears to have more power over the US political system than Donald Trump, and Congress.

Misunderstanding Congress

While Musk’s power over the system is alarming enough, he also doesn’t appear to understand exactly how it works either. Here’s what he tweeted earlier this week:

To put something like this out shows just how inexperienced and, well, stupid Musk is. First of all, Article I of the Constitution, states that:

The Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers.

That means Congress has every right to pass bills, even in a lame-duck session. Right up until Jan. 20th 2025, Congress retains its full legislative, oversight, and budgetary powers.

So to recap: Musk doesn’t understand what was actually in the bill he just destroyed, doesn’t understand the role of Congress, and doesn’t understand how the legislative body actually works.

A Glimpse of Trump’s Second Term

None of this bodes well for the next four years given the extraordinary influence Musk has over Donald Trump. The shit show in DC before the holidays is a preview of what we should expect from a Trump/Musk administration and a Republican led Congress.

As Dana Milbank writes, the GOP has effectively fallen apart before Trump has taken office:

This is just the first act of what promises to be a four-year circus. Already, a dozen or so House Republicans, angered by Speaker Mike Johnson’s inept handling of the spending bill, are now making noises about blocking his reelection as speaker Jan. 3 — and the defection of even two or three Republicans could doom him. This, in turn, could delay Congress’s certification of Trump’s election victory and possibly create a constitutional crisis over the transfer of power. Even if Johnson (R-Louisiana) gets out of that mess, a few House Republicans are already lining up in opposition to extending Trump’s tax cuts, a core component of his 2025 agenda.

With a deranged president, an ketamine addicted billionaire pulling the strings, and a useless Speaker in charge of Congress, what could go wrong?

Destruction Without an Exit Strategy

By the end of Donald Trump’s campaign against Kamala Harris, most of his staff wanted him to lose the election. It was that dysfunctional, corrupt, and toxic. Trump invites chaos and destruction wherever he goes, and his second term will be no different.

The meltdown over the spending deal is evidence of what happens when Trump and Musk put their brilliant minds together: complete destruction without an exit strategy. Democrats will be asked to help pass a bill amenable to the GOP’s new billionaire masters, but they must refuse. This is their mess, and now they must own it.

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