The stopgap spending agreement was harshly criticized by tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who urged congressional members to vote against the vast bill if they are “serious” about government efficiency.
Ramaswamy serves as the co-chair of the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), a panel that is responsible for formulating proposals to reduce government expenditure and bureaucracy, appointed by President-elect Trump.
Ramaswamy stated in an extensive post on X that the government will incur a cost of $380 billion just to maintain operations until March 14, which is the new shutdown deadline under the stopgap measure.
I wanted to read the full 1,500+ page bill & speak with key leaders before forming an opinion. Having done that, here’s my view: it’s full of excessive spending, special interest giveaways & pork barrel politics. If Congress wants to get serious about government efficiency, they…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 18, 2024
“The legislation will end up hurting many of the people it purports to help. Debt-fueled spending sprees may ‘feel good’ today, but it’s like showering cocaine on an addict: it’s not compassion, it’s cruelty.” Ramaswamy concluded.
Ramaswamy and Musk’s opposition is a result of their conversations with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who is currently undergoing severe criticism from certain members of his Republican party.
Rather than a temporary funding measure, Republican critics contend that the bill is more akin to an expansive omnibus.
Johnson stated that Ramaswamy and Musk communicated their apprehensions to the Speaker through a text message exchange among the three.
The stopgap measure’s text, which was published days prior to the Dec. 20 shutdown deadline, is designed to extend the deadline and provide the incoming president and the next Congress with additional time to determine the government’s funding strategies for the majority of the upcoming year.
The measure includes a variety of supplementary provisions, such as disaster assistance for hurricane damage and farmers, a health care agreement that includes reforms to the pharmacy benefit manager industry, an extension of the farm bill, and a provision that allows for the relocation of the Washington Commanders stadium to Washington, D.C.
The tech entrepreneur, who unsuccessfully ran for president, contended that the measure, which spans over 1,500 pages, could have been compressed to under 20 pages with ease.
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