The News
With just weeks until US President-elect Donald Trump takes office, his alliance with tech billionaire Elon Musk is coming under increased scrutiny from figures across the political spectrum.
Musk has already demonstrated the extent of his influence: Pundits widely identified him as the reason why Republicans rejected a bipartisan bill to fund the government (an altered version eventually passed). More recently, Trump appeared to side with Musk in a debate over H-1B visas for skilled immigrants that has split Republicans.
Meanwhile, some Democrats have expressed optimism for Musk’s potential to “clean up” unnecessary government spending, although it’s still not clear what exactly he will propose to cut.
SIGNALS
Musk is reshaping Republican in-fighting
The debate among Republicans over H-1B visas in many ways reflects a long-standing fight between moderates and more conservative groups, but there’s “no modern precedent” for one side of an argument to be led by “someone as rich, mercurial, and powerful as Musk,” CNN wrote. Some Trump critics have gone as far as to say Musk has ignited a “civil war” within the party that risks Trump seeming “inconsistent and out of touch” with his campaign pledge to fight inflation for ordinary Americans. Ultimately “both Trump and Musk have huge incentives to stick together,” CNN argued: Musk can use the “inside government perch” to further his business interests, and Trump benefits from Musk’s political donations.
Some key Democrats see bright side of Musk
Several key Democratic figures like Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and California Rep. Ro Khanaa have voiced support for Musk’s task of cutting the federal budget, especially when it comes to defense spending, the Financial Times reported. Some lawmakers, including Oregon Rep. Val Hoyle and Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman, have also joined the congressional government efficiency caucus to have a voice in any proposed cuts. That said, Democrats have also made clear where they “delineate from Musk’s vision,” the FT wrote, expressing opposition to cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and Medicare, for example. One party strategist cautioned the strategy could backfire: “You have two inexperienced billionaires who are effectively trying to take a sledgehammer to government... I don’t think Democrats should be anywhere near that.”