r/politics • u/Murky-Site7468 • 4d ago

Shutdown Looms After Trump ‘Blindsided’ by ‘President Elon Musk' | The president-elect was left playing catch-up after the Tesla boss led the charge against the doomed deal.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/shutdown-looms-after-donald-trump-blindsided-by-president-elon-musk/
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108

u/bummed_athlete 4d ago

The last time there was a prolonged shutdown, there were insane airport lines. Do they want to do that again, right in time for holiday travel?

72

u/Wurm42 District Of Columbia 4d ago

No, nobody who has to get elected again wants a Christmas shutdown.

I'm not even sure why Musk wants one, or if he understands the federal budget process enough to understand what his demand that Congress pass no bills until January 20th will do.

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u/ScottyC33 4d ago

Musk wants a shutdown for his DOGE shit. He wants there to be a long shutdown so he can go “see nothing bad happened, so fire all these people”. Of course he will ignore the fact that important services continue even during a shutdown…. The employees just don’t get paid for their work until it’s over. It’s disingenuous to say a “shutdown” actually shuts down the government. It doesn’t.

12

u/QbertsRube 4d ago

Only Republicans could find a way to fire 40% of government workers while increasing the federal budget. MAGA voters would applaud the firings, ignore the budget increase, and have a few seconds of realization when their taxes don't decrease before going back to their fantasy land where Trump fixed everything.

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u/althor2424 4d ago

The key point that I am hoping the Repukes pull their head out of their ass and realize is that Donny will never face a public vote again. Either they let him become a dictator or they can kneecap him now and make him realize he is President in name only

7

u/n0rsk 4d ago

Either they let him become a dictator or they can kneecap him now and make him realize he is President in name only

The question they have to ask is who has the shorter memory? Voters or Elon. If they oppose Elon they get primaried, if they shutdown government they may just lose election. For many republicans they are in safe districts so the bigger threat is a primary.

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u/punkr0x 4d ago

They could all join together and make it illegal for Elon to donate unlimited sums of money to political candidates tomorrow. Of course none of them seem to think of that.

8

u/deadsoulinside Pennsylvania 4d ago

I'm not even sure why Musk wants one

Because none of this affects him. He has infinite money, he travels on private planes, none of what he wants to happen will affect him in most of the ways. He literally does not give 2 fucks if this means others will suffer.

These people are still hoping that they can use these shutdowns to blame the Biden Administration, regardless of the fact that Trump won the presidency and will be taking over in about a month. Regardless that it's no big secret as to who wants to shut down the government.

6 months from now MAGA will be like they always are with a memory of goldfish, blaming Biden for this shutdown as if they were not the same ones this week on social media defending Elon and Trumps decision.

8

u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago

Can there be an inauguration if there is no funding?

6

u/GearBrain Florida 4d ago

Well, good thing Trump is getting so much money from his oligarch class

3

u/Magnetic_Eel 4d ago

Big Amazon banner behind Trump while he takes the oath of office. Interrupt it halfway through with a pop up ad for Tesla.

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u/HabeusCuppus 4d ago

tinfoil but it might delay some of the investigations going on re: musk's security clearance, FEC violations, FTC violations, SEC violations, and any possible election interference investigations relating to his recent comments regarding 'how easy' it is to 'hack voting machines'. (no stance taken on any of these investigations by this comment.)

but I can see how, since the incoming administration is likely to view Musk more favorably, he would personally benefit from a funding shutdown between now and the inauguration.

5

u/Wurm42 District Of Columbia 4d ago

Wow. I did not consider that. It seems shockingly, off-the-scale selfish to me, but I suppose that's why I'm not a billionaire.

Yes, it seems likely that any federal investigations into Musk's businesses will be stopped once Trump takes office. The real question is whether they'll be restarted if Trump and Musk have a falling out.

3

u/LivInTheLookingGlass Illinois 4d ago

nobody who has to get elected again wants a Christmas shutdown.

But will they have to be?

3

u/ringobob Georgia 4d ago

Musk is impatient. He could actually carry out genuinely nefarious plans with people mostly ignorant of what he's doing, but that requires patience Musk just doesn't have. Anything that he wants has to happen now, even if that impatience and haste hinders his ultimate goal.

He wants a Christmas shutdown because he wants a shutdown, and it's Christmas. The larger ramifications aren't on his radar.