Elon Musk’s campaign towards President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” of tax minimize and spending has the potential to complicate not solely the laws’s path to the president’s desk, but in addition Republicans’ electoral pursuits in 2026.
Republicans have outwardly loved getting the richest individual on the earth, and his pockets, on their aspect. Musk spent greater than 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars} within the 2024 election — and Republicans embraced his cost-cutting brainchild, the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).
However now, Musk is asking to “KILL” what is meant to be the most important legislative achievement for Republicans in Trump’s second time period, calling its deficit impacts a “disgusting abomination.”
And he’s suggesting there might be electoral penalties for many who assist it.
“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” Musk posted Tuesday on his social platform X after railing towards the megabill.
The dynamic threatens to place the Republican members of Congress in a difficult place, pressured to steadiness supporting Trump — who’s pushing Republicans to cross the tax minimize and spending priorities invoice as quickly as potential — whereas attempting to keep away from the ire of the world’s richest individual and his unstable instincts.
For now, although, Home Republicans are largely dismissing the specter of Musk turning his checking account towards them, charging ahead with the laws.
However Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), certainly one of solely two Republicans to vote no towards the invoice when it handed the Home final month, stated he hopes that interprets into Musk bankrolling major challengers to his GOP colleagues.
“He said, ‘Take them out in November.’ I would take them out in primaries if I were Elon Musk,” Massie stated. “I don’t primary my colleagues, but I feel pretty good about him doing the work.”
And whereas Musk has not fairly explicitly pledged to spend cash towards Republicans in 2026 elections, the dangers are being famous. Requested if there are worries in regards to the electoral impression of Musk’s campaign, one Home GOP member advised The Hill, “Yes and no.”
“Folks like me would want to avoid his big money attacks, but it’s unlikely we will be deterred by the threat of them,” the member stated.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), for his half, expressed shock at Musk trashing the invoice, however downplayed its impact on the midterms. The billionaire “DOGEfather” had, the truth is, supplied midterm assist to Republicans, in line with the Speaker, in a half-hour telephone dialog Monday.
Johnson made his arguments in favor of the invoice — which extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and boosts funding for border and protection priorities, whereas making cuts to spending on social security web packages similar to Medicaid and meals assist — and stated Musk was “encouraged by that conversation.”
“He and I talked about the midterm elections, and he said, ‘I’m going to help,’” Johnson stated. “We’ve got to make sure the Republicans keep the House majority. We can’t have the president impeached, which is what the Democrats would do on Day 1. We’ve got to continue this. The Trump administration needs four years to do all this reform, not two years.”
“Twenty-four hours later, he does a 180 and it comes out as opposed to bill. And it surprised me, frankly,” Johnson stated.
However Johnson stated he isn’t involved about electoral impression.
“Am I concerned about the effect of this on the midterms? I’m not. Let me tell you why: Because when the big, beautiful bill is done inside and signed into law, every single American is going to feel that,” Johnson stated.
And for now, among the most susceptible Republicans are dismissing the potential of Musk’s huge checking account getting used towards them.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a swing-seat member, stated he was not fearful about the specter of Musk working towards him. And Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), one other swing-seat member who has beforehand famous he was the most important recipient of assist from Musk’s America PAC, additionally stated he was “not concerned” about how Musk’s anti-megabill campaign would have an effect on the midterms.
A second Home Republican advised The Hill that members are usually not fearful but as a result of “it’s so far down the road.”
Nonetheless, it’s arduous to foretell what Musk goes to do. Whereas Johnson saying Musk indicated he would assist Home Republicans in 2026, Musk advised Bloomberg on the Qatar Financial Discussion board final month that he deliberate to drag again on political spending.
Musk did, nevertheless, add: “If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it.”
Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), chair of the Home Price range Committee, acknowledged Musk’s work throws a wrench into the efforts to push the invoice throughout the end line.
“I think it’s a challenge for us now to have a very credible voice, someone that the American people — at least the Republican base — trusted as an objective … expert on running things and identifying inefficiencies. And I think that’s the challenge,” Arrington stated, including that Musk is “wrong on this issue.”
And Musk’s posture is even making among the largest fiscal hawks who had challenged Home GOP management forward of the vote final month elevate their eyebrows.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a member of the Home Freedom Caucus, stated of Musk’s lobbying towards the invoice: “There was a group, a cadre of people, trying to increase the spending reductions. … When there was blistering fire heaped upon them, he didn’t really have much to say. He’s waiting till now to make the assessments? It’s kind of odd.”
