Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) ripped Elon Musk for his X posts that tanked support for a continuing resolution (CR) as Congress members work against a tight deadline to prevent a government shutdown.
“This is a leadership challenge that Mike Johnson has to define himself with. Are you gonna get the right input from the right people to get this bill passed,” he asked during a Thursday evening appearance on CNN.
“Because, quite frankly, you can’t do it in a vacuum. And it doesn’t matter because, quite frankly, last time I checked, Elon Musk doesn’t have a vote in Congress.”
Some believe Musk convinced even the former president to discard a 1,500 bill that he’d previously seemed to support. The tech giant cited the increase in national debt as a reason to sink the CR despite the ticking timeline.
“Now, he [Elon] has influence, and he’ll put pressure on us to do whatever he thinks the right thing is for him,” McCormick told anchor Katilan Collins.
“But I have 760,000 people that voted for me to do the right thing for them. And that’s what matters to me.”
Lawmakers have criticized Musk for weighing on legislative matters as a trusted voice in President-elect Trump’s corner while others have welcomed his advice.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said the SpaceX CEO should take on the House Speaker role as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) agreed that she was open to the idea.
Musk is set to co-lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dedicated to reducing federal spending by trillions once Trump takes office in January.
