Trump ally opposes emergency spending plan: "This bill should not pass"

On Wednesday, Elon Musk, a billionaire and key Trump ally, opposed House Speaker Mike Johnson's proposed bill to keep the government funded.

The 1,547-page bill was attacked by Musk on social media as being filled with "pork." The legislation aims to prevent a government shutdown on Friday and fund the government until March.

"This bill should not pass," Musk wrote bluntly on X.

Republican leaders have defended their plan for a temporary spending bill, stating it would give President-elect Trump more control over spending when the issue arises again in the spring.

On Tuesday night, Vivek Ramaswamy, another ally of Trump, expressed doubts about the bill but did not openly oppose it.

Ramaswamy wrote on X that he is currently reading the 1,547-page bill to fund the government through mid-March and expects every U.S. Congressman and Senator to do the same.

Several GOP lawmakers had expressed skepticism of a large funding package earlier this week, while Trump himself has remained silent on the budget battle.

Before the bill was released on Tuesday, Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., shared with Planet Chronicle Digital that the only discussion he had with the speaker up until that weekend was about the length of the clean CR, and then he learned over the weekend that they were negotiating a health care package that included PBM stuff.

The bill includes a provision that reduces the power of pharmacy benefit managers.

Johnson has given lawmakers three days to review the bill, which will be voted on Friday. He has stated that the bill's large size is due to unforeseen events such as natural disasters and other incidents that require government funding, rather than the omnibus spending plans of previous years.

The bill contains $108 billion in aid for Hurricanes Milton and Helene, and $8 billion for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Johnson will need to rely on Democratic votes to pass the bill, as the GOP currently holds a one-seat majority in the House. Additionally, the legislation must pass the Senate by the Friday deadline to prevent a shutdown.

Planet Chronicle' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.