Elon Musk is throwing grenades into the political process in an attempt to blow up the budget reconciliation bill.
But while his calls to “kill the bill” have fanned flames among a few lawmakers critical of the bill’s price tag, there appear to be limits to his sizable social media influence on Capitol Hill.
“We did the right thing. This is just a first step,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, a member of the DOGE caucus, named after the cost-cutting crusade Musk led before he left the White House last week. “I think Elon has learned a lot about the political process up here.”
“I don’t regret my vote,” Norman added. When asked if he thought Musk could influence any votes, Norman said, “Time will tell.”
Other members of the DOGE caucus have reiterated their support for the bill since Musk first came out against it Tuesday afternoon. Rep. Aaron Bean, a caucus co-chair, took to X on Wednesday to urge the Senate to pass the bill and warned that “every delay brings us one step closer to the largest tax hike in American history.”
The power to make substantive changes currently lies with the Senate, since the House passed and sent over the bill before Memorial Day. Republican lawmakers are looking to President Donald Trump, who has yet to publicly weigh in. The Congressional Budget Office estimated Wednesday that the House’s reconciliation bill could add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a vocal opponent of some of the bill’s Medicaid cuts, brushed off a question from NOTUS about whether Musk’s influence has waned since he left the White House.
“There’s one leader of this administration, there’s one ultimate decision-maker, and that is, always has been and always will be while he’s in office, Donald J. Trump,” Hawley said.
Republican leadership has defended the process and downplayed Musk’s role in it.
Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Wednesday morning that he was surprised by Musk’s tweets, but didn’t take it personally.
“Elon and I left on a great note. We were texting one another happy Monday and then yesterday, 24-hours later, he does a 180 ... it surprised me, frankly. I don’t think it’s personal,” Johnson said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that he also spoke with Musk about the bill “a few days ago.” When asked if Musk had been critical of the bill, he said, “Not at that time.”
“Obviously, he has some influence and a big following on social media, but at the end of the day this is a 51-vote exercise here in the Senate,” Thune said. “The question for our members is gonna be, ‘Would you prefer the alternative?’”
When asked if he was surprised by Musk’s tweet, Sen. John Barrasso, the majority whip, said, “No, he’s lost all the EV credits.”
The “one big, beautiful bill” strips out clean energy tax credits and incentives included in the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s also filled with provisions that some members found difficult to swallow, including one preventing states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next 10 years that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene derided on social media Tuesday.
Greene told NewsNation’s “The Hill” on Wednesday that she agrees with Musk to a “certain extent,” but defended her decision to vote to advance the bill.
“I take no issue with anyone calling out the government. I think the American people, including Elon Musk, have the right to do that every single day,” Greene said.
“I fully understand what Elon is saying, and I agree with him to a certain extent. However, I don’t want to continue this government on a CR that’s funding Democrat and Biden policies and funding, and this bill was important to transition over to exactly what the American people vote for.”
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Taylor Giorno is a reporter at NOTUS. Katherine Swartz and Helen Huiskes, NOTUS reporters and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows, contributed to this report.