Please, make it make sense.
As a government shutdown looms, it is clear that House Republicans either don’t see why—or simply don’t care why—their proposed bill was was shot down by a 174 to 235 vote. They have gone back to the drawing board today, but it seems unlikely that anything will get passed. There is too much discontent among those present. So what, exactly, does Elon Musk have to do with it? A lot.
On X (formerly Twitter), user @esjesjesj posted a list of items Musk has removed from the bill:
Things Elon removed from the bill
— evan loves worf (@esjesjesj) December 20, 2024
-anti deepfake porn measures
-research on premature labor
-funding to treat sickle cell disease
-money for breast cancer early detection
-research on Down syndrome
-consumer protections for hotel hidden fees
-fucking research into child cancer pic.twitter.com/auciIJ1J4l
Calling it a “fair & simple” spending bill is a bit much, but it’s Musk, so it is not surprising. Everything listed above are things that should be voted for, not against. Imagine not caring about women so much that you want to keep anti-deepfake porn measures while not funding research into breast cancer and premature labor. (Not much imagining needs to be done here, but, you know. Laugh through the anger and all that.)
The other question is: Why does Musk keep making decisions like this? Was he on the ticket and I just missed it? Has Trump given him his own little special position of power since they’re bff besties? Unfortunately, that one would not be surprising in the least. The real question is why are other elected officials letting this happen? Yes, there are rumors that legislators are tired of Musk’s presence, but the fact is that they let him in there in the first place. Trump isn’t even President yet! There is no sanctity anymore. Trump and his MAGA supporters intimidate and steamroll anybody in their path.
So why are we listening to somebody with no political affiliation, again?
So why did a slew of tweets cause a Republican backlash against the bill, anyway? Because Trump and VP JD Vance came out against it after Musk’s tirade. Once they supported itt, other House and Senate Republicans rallied. This begs the question: Who is really in charge? Because it does not seem like Musk is an elected official. Also, let’s not forget this incredibly incorrect take that a shutdown “doesn’t actually shut down critical functions.”
“Shutting down” the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill https://t.co/jfFCVWd2T2
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024
On par for a billionaire to say. You’ll be fine, but the rest of the country won’t. And, I’m sorry, but I cannot get past him removing research into child cancer from the bill. Who does that benefit? We should be spending less on the military, if anything. We should also be listening to elected officials, not randos with god complexes. Even if other legislators are tired of him, Musk’s continued tampering in the government won’t stop without Trump’s say. January is seeming more and more like we are going to go into Trump’s second term with Musk whispering in his ear.
Published: Dec 22, 2024 05:46 am