Elon Musk’s declaration that the GOP’s domestic-policy megabill, the centerpiece of President Donald Trump‘s legislative agenda, is a “disgusting abomination” rocketed around Capitol Hill on Tuesday — and frustrated a host of Republican lawmakers.
Inside the Senate Republican lunch, it “got spread around pretty quick,” said Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin — who, like other GOP senators, was swarmed by reporters afterward seeking reaction to the tech mogul’s blunt musings.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had just gaveled the House into session after a quiet recess week when he was set upon with questions. He immediately declared Musk’s take on the House product “terribly wrong” and “very disappointing” — and revealed he’d walked the tech mogul through the bill as recently as Monday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, characteristically diplomatic, said only that GOP senators “have a difference of opinion” with Musk and that he hoped “he’ll come to a different conclusion” after learning more about the bill.
Democrats were more than happy to play up the discord over the GOP’s legislative centerpiece, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer emerging from the Democratic lunch with a printout of the post and giddily telling reporters, “I agree with Elon Musk!”
Whether Musk, with all the power he wielded in Washington over the past several months, will now be able to shape the megabill — or kill it entirely — is another question, though.
The answer is, probably not, according to several mostly exasperated Senate Republicans who weighed in Tuesday.
“He’s entitled to his opinion,” said North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who gave a one-word answer on whether Musk’s message would affect amendments to the bill: “No.”
Even MAGA conservatives who have been among Musk’s biggest Hill backers brushed him off: “We need spending reductions, no doubt. But we’re going to work through it,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri.
Added Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, “I think the Senate should make the bill substantially better, and I hope and believe we’ll do that.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said he just didn’t see Musk’s opposition moving the ball much: “I think the people that are of the same view are encouraged, and I think others are sort of dismissive.”
“I like Elon Musk,” he added, “but he’s one man.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Sen. Eric Schmitt’s name.
