Musk crusade against Trump megabill threatens to complicate midterms

The Hill

2 days ago

Elon Musk's crusade against President Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' of tax cut and spending has the potential to complicate not only the legislation's path to the president's desk, but also Republicans' electoral pursuits in 2026.
Republicans have outwardly enjoyed getting the richest man in the world, and his wallet, on their side. Musk spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars in the 2024 election — and Republicans embraced his cost-cutting brainchild, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
But now, Musk is calling to 'KILL' what is supposed to be the biggest legislative achievement for Republicans in Trump's second term, calling its deficit impacts a 'disgusting abomination.'
And he is suggesting that there could be electoral consequences for those who support it.
'In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,' Musk posted on X on Tuesday after railing against the megabill.
The dynamic threatens to put the Republican members of Congress in a tricky position, forced to balance supporting Trump — who is pushing Republicans to pass the tax cut and spending priorities bill as soon as possible — while trying to avoid the ire of the world's richest man and his volatile instincts.
For now, though, House Republicans are largely brushing off the threat of Musk turning his war chest against them and charging forward with the legislation.
But Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of only two Republicans to vote no against the bill when it passed the House last month, said that he hopes that translates into Musk bankrolling primary 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 said. 'I don't primary my colleagues, but I feel pretty good about him doing the work.'
And while Musk has not quite explicitly pledged to spend money against Republicans in 2026 elections, the risks are being noted. Asked about if there are worries about the electoral impact of Musk's crusade, one House GOP member told 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 said.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), for his part, expressed surprise at Musk trashing the bill, but downplayed its effect on the midterms. The billionaire 'DOGEfather' had, in fact, offered midterm support to Republicans, according to the Speaker, in a half-hour phone conversation on Monday.
Johnson made his arguments in favor of the bill — which extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts and boosts funding for border and defense priorities, while making cuts to spending on social safety net programs such as Medicaid and food aid — and said that Musk was 'encouraged by that conversation.'
'He and I talked about the midterm elections, and he said, I'm going to help,' Johnson said. '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 one. 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 said.
But Johnson said he is not concerned about electoral impact.
'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 said.
And for now, some of the most vulnerable Republicans are brushing off the possibility of Musk's vast war chest being used against them.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a swing-seat member, said he was not worried about the threat of Musk working against him. And Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), another swing-seat member who has previously noted he was the biggest recipient of support from Musk's AmericaPAC, also said he was 'not concerned' about how Musk's anti-megabill crusade would affect the midterms.
A second House Republican told The Hill that members are not worried yet because 'it's so far down the road.'
Still, it is hard to predict what Musk is going to do. While Johnson saying that Musk indicated he would support House Republicans in 2026, Musk told Bloomberg at the Qatar Economic Forum last month that he planned to pull back on political spending.
Musk did, however, add: 'If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it.'
Rep. Jodey Arringon (R-Texas), chair of the House Budget Committee, acknowledged that Musk's work throws a wrench into the efforts to push the bill across the finish 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 said, adding that he is 'wrong on this issue.'
And Musk's posture is even making some of the biggest fiscal hawks who had challenged House GOP leadership ahead of the vote last month raise their eyebrows.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said of Musk's lobbying against the bill: '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.'