Longtime Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) delivered an impassioned tirade on the House floor Friday, accusing “President Musk” of sabotaging a bipartisan spending bill intended to prevent a government shutdown at midnight. The purple-haired DeLauro, who has represented her district since 1991, expressed outrage over the newfound influence of Elon Musk, a Trump ally, in pressuring House Republicans to adopt a more conservative bill or risk a shutdown while President Joe Biden remains in office.
President-elect Donald Trump echoed Musk’s sentiment, urging Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Friday to embrace the possibility of a shutdown, framing it as occurring on “Biden’s watch.” However, it was Musk’s initial post on X calling for the bipartisan agreement to fail that drew the brunt of DeLauro’s ire.
“We agreed on a bill, and you know what? They got scared because President Musk told them, President Musk said ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it, shut the government down,’” DeLauro yelled. “What does he know about what people go through when the government shuts down?” The 17-term lawmaker with an annual salary of $174,000 continued on. “Are his employees furloughed? Hell no! Is he furloughed? No! And when you shut the government down, people don’t get paid. And maybe if none of us got paid if the government got shut down, some people on the other side of the aisle would feel differently about where we’re going and this effort!”
DeLauro’s breakdown on the House floor continued for another few minutes as she drew comparisons to previous shutdown agreements that were later scuttled in the face of conservative opposition. “Think about it: Biden, McCarthy, deal, come together. Next day, walk away! Johnson, Schumer, deal. Next day, walk away!” With Republicans on the cusp of full control in Washington, calls have intensified to fund the government with leaner spending packages, increasing pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson to strike a balance. He must navigate demands from his conservative flank while ensuring moderate members’ priorities for domestic and international funding are not sacrificed.
WATCH:
This is an actual sitting member of Congress who’s been in office since 1991.
How many cats does she own?
— AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) December 20, 2024
Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy are set to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, tasked with eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government operations. The initiative has drawn criticism from liberal lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). After Warren sent a letter to the Trump transition team requesting the establishment of conflict-of-interest rules for Musk, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt mocked Warren’s controversial claims of Native American heritage, a sentiment Musk echoed.
“Pocahontas can play political games and send toothless letters, but the Trump-Vance transition will continue to be held to the highest ethical and legal standards possible – a standard unfamiliar to a career politician whose societal impact is 1/1024th of Elon Musk’s,” she said on Tuesday.