Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted lawmakers on Friday as Congress moves toward a shutdown, suggesting a reform to campaign finance laws to prevent another scenario in which billionaire Elon Musk again has outsized influence on negotiations.
"How about the House add campaign finance reform to the CR so Republicans and Democrats alike can stop being so scared about what a billionaire man-child thinks before they vote on anything around here," the Democratic lawmaker said in a post on her X account.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2024
Musk promptly responded to the publication: he posted an image of Pepe the frog, used for different memes. The image didn't have an accompanying caption.
Uncertainty is dominating Capitol Hill with the shutdown hours away. Republican representatives are holding a closed-door conference meeting to work on next steps. An option being reportedly discussed is splitting the government funding bill into pieces.
The votes will include the Continuing Resolution (CR) keeping the government functioning until March, disaster relief, and aid for farmers according to Punchbowl News reporter Jake Sherman.
Republicans leaders are scrambling to avert a shutdown after the party failed to get enough votes and pass a slimmed-down initiative on Thursday despite it being supported by President-elect Donald Trump.
Key to its demise was the opposition of 38 Republicans. "Why would we give Joe Biden more money this late in his administration?" said Rep. Bob Good after voting against the bill. "The money intended for disaster victims should have been paid for, there should have been offsets."
The bill was soundly defeated, getting only 174 votes in favor and 235 against. Democrats and Republicans have been engaged in a blame game since, with the former focusing on the outsized role Musk is having.
Top Republicans are seeking to convey confidence in the afternoon, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying there won't be a shutdown. "We have a unified Republican Conference. We have unanimous agreement in the room that we need to move forward. I will not telegraph to you the specific details of that yet," he told press.
"We will not have a government shutdown and we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for the disaster victims all over the country, and for making sure that military and essential services and everyone that relies on the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays," he added. NBC News reported that House Republicans leaving the meeting seemed confident about their ability to vote on a funding package today.
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