Hillary Clinton says Republicans are taking orders from ‘the richest man in the world’ to shut down the government

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lamented Thursday about Elon Musk’s influence over the spending drama on Capitol Hill.

“If you’ve just joined: The Republican Party, taking orders from the richest man in the world, will shut down the government during the holidays, freeze the pay of our military and nutrition benefits for low-income families just in time for Christmas,” the 2016 president wrote on X.

Clinton, a former first lady and senator, served in Congress from 2001 to 2009.

His comments came as House Speaker Mike Johnson released a new version of the continuing resolution, or CR, to keep the government open beyond Friday night’s deadline.

‘HELL NO’: HOUSE DEEMS CONTINUES WITH GOP DEAL

Musk came out strongly against the first spending deal Johnson negotiated with Democrats, threatening to mount a major challenge to any Republican who voted for it.

Without a deal in place to kick off the federal funding deadline until March and keep spending at 2024 levels, the government will shut down at midnight on Saturday.

But House Democrats disagree with the latest iteration of the spending plan. And since there are debts of $ 36 trillion and a deficit of $ 1.8 trillion in 2024, some conservatives oppose the CR, which sets the deadline for obtaining funds in March and which keeps spending at 2024 levels entirely.

“The Musk-Johnson proposal is not bad, it’s ridiculous. MAGA Extreme Republicans are driving us toward a government shutdown,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y., conducts his weekly news conference at the Capitol Visitor Center on May 23, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., indicated that the Democratic leadership will pressure its members to vote “no” on the deal.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., complained that the final deal was blown up by opposition from conservatives, with input from DOGE leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS DURING A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

“Everybody agreed,” he said, “and then Elon Musk got fired, which has become the fourth branch of government. And that’s an intolerable way to go on.

“Democrats will try to figure out how we can salvage the good in society that has just been taken away.”

Chants of “hell no” could be heard inside the room where Democrats gathered after the bill’s text was released.

Elon Musk has threatened to back primary challenges to anyone who voted for CR. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The latest continuing resolution would extend existing federal funding levels for three months and suspend the debt ceiling for two years, something President-elect Trump has sought.

It comes after the original 1,500-page CR drew opposition from the right over the policy and passenger subsidies.

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House lawmakers can vote on the new bill as early as Thursday evening.

It is not clear whether the new agreement will pass. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who led opposition to the original bill, also rejected the new deal.

“More debt. More government. Raising the Credit Card $4 trillion with ZERO spending restraint and cuts. HARD NO,” wrote Roy on X.