Musk, a close ally of President-elect Trump, turned to his social platform X just hours after the continuing resolution was unveiled Tuesday night to argue the deal “should not pass.”
He launched a flurry of posts and re-posts, occasionally spreading incorrect information about everything from lawmaker pay raises to the cost of a football stadium in Washington, D.C.
The 20-hour campaign was ultimately successful, prompting Trump to disavow the measure and send Republicans back to the drawing board.
“X has become almost this megaphone for Elon Musk, where he can either shout at congresspeople or give this halo effect to questionable accounts that are providing questionable or false information,” said Erik Nisbet, director of Northwestern University’s Center for Communication & Public Policy.
Musk’s crusade against the spending bill began with an unfounded criticism that the measure would include “a 40% pay increase” for Congress, posted to his personal account and the X account for his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The claim was based on another user’s post, which asserted that the legislation would raise lawmaker salaries from $174,000 to $243,000.
The funding deal did remove language that previously blocked lawmakers from receiving a raise.
However, the maximum potential January adjustment is 3.8 percent, which would result in a $6,600 raise, according to a recent report from the Congressional Research Service.
Another claim amplified by Musk is that the bill would prevent any investigation into the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
However, the bill’s text makes no mention of the riot and only clarifies that House data stored elsewhere is still under the control of House rules.
“A lot of (Musk’s) strategy is really leveraging his personal brand, throwing a lot of different claims against the wall to see what sticks,” Nisbet added.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
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