House Republican Tells CBS: ‘It Feels Like Elon Musk is Our Prime Minister’
When questioned about Elon Musk’s involvement in two failed spending bills that nearly led to a government shutdown, GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) readily admitted that the MAGA billionaire was like a de facto “prime minister” running the U.S. federal government.
“It’s kind of interesting,” Gonzales told CBS’ Margaret Brennan on Sunday. “We have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It feels as if Elon Musk is our prime minister! And I spoke with Elon a couple of times this week. I think many of us — ”
“Unelected,” Brennan interjected.
“Well, unelected, but he has a voice. And I think a large part of that voice is a reflection of the people. Once again, a 1,500 page bill? How does that pass the smell test. It’s absolutely wrong. It’s what’s wrong with this place, so we have to get back to regular order.
“The other part of it, too, is that while House Republicans were fighting over the spending bill, guess what Senate Democrats were doing? They were ensuring that President Biden got his 235th liberal judge over the finish line. That’s why it’s so important that House Republicans stay united, stay laser focused on delivering on a President Trump agenda next year.”
Musk was widely criticized on both sides of the aisle for his social media posts urging Congress to ditch the first two bills. Fox News’s Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume posted his scathing take on X, formerly Twitter:
“Speaker Johnson is getting the blame for the failure of the bills to keep the government open,” Hume wrote. “But how about the team of Trump, Musk & Co? They shot down the first bill. Too full of pork, they said. They demanded a streamlined bill. Johnson produced one and put it on the floor. It failed miserably, with three dozen House Republicans voting against it. Way to go guys.”
Ultimately, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) fast-tracked a third bill through the House at the 11th hour Friday that was approved by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden.
Watch the clip above via Face The Nation on CBS.
