Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) isn’t too happy with Elon Musk’s new role in President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration.
Sanders voiced his frustration with government funding concerns and took direct aim at Musk on X, formerly Twitter, the social platform Musk owns, per The Hill.
“Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government,” Sanders wrote on Wednesday. “The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesn’t like it. Will Republicans kiss the ring?”
Sanders’ tirade didn’t end there.
“Billionaires must not be allowed to run our government,” Sanders added.
Sanders’ post was in response to earlier posts from Musk where he called for those in support of the spending bill be voted out of office.
“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote in one post Wednesday.
Musk added another post with a call for action.
“Please call your elected representatives right away to tell them how you feel!” he wrote. “They are trying to get this passed today while no one is paying attention.”
The exchange between Sanders and Musk played out as lawmakers are looking for a way to keep the government’s lights on and avoid a shutdown Friday.
The stopgap funding bill, unveiled Tuesday, would extend the funding deadline to March 14.
The bipartisan deal would allow Republicans, who will be in the majority in both the House and Senate come January, to devise funding under Trump’s administration.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who is set to co-lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Musk, wrote a lengthy response to the issue on X.
“The legislation will end up hurting many of the people it purports to help,” he wrote. “Debt-fueled spending sprees may ‘feel good’ today, but it’s like showering cocaine on an addict: it’s not compassion, it’s cruelty.”
“Farmers will see more land sold to foreign buyers when taxes inevitably rise to meet our obligations,” he added. “Our children will be saddled with crippling debt. Interest payments will be the largest item in our national budget.”
Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance urged Republicans to pass a stopgap funding bill that will up the debt ceiling.
Trump said any GOP lawmaker voting for the resolution without including an increase to the debt limit should be voted out of office.
