In December, Elon Musk used his growing political and social media capital within the right to help tank a Republican funding bill in the House of Representatives. Among several critiques of the legislation — which varied wildly in their veracity — Musk falsely claimed that Congress was attempting to give themselves “a 40% pay increase.”
The proposed raise for lawmakers was actually much more modest, and already had plenty of public opposition, but Musk’s campaign against the bill effectively forced Republicans back to the drawing board days before a government shutdown was set to go into effect. Now, as Congress braces for a round of tense budget negotiations amid growing tension from voters infuriated by Musk and DOGE’s erratic cuts to federal spending and the federal workforce, the billionaire is making a conveniently timed pivot.
“It might make sense to increase compensation for Congress and senior government employees to reduce the forcing function for corruption, as the latter might be as much as 1000 times more expensive to the public,” Musk wrote Thursday on X.
With the blessing of the Trump administration, Musk and DOGE have fired thousands of federal employees, frozen billions in federal funds, and cut a myriad of government-funded programs that are already affecting everyday Americans. Veterans are losing their jobs and benefits; medical research funding has been abruptly cut off’ and homelessness support programs, crisis shelters, and emergency hotlines are in limbo about their futures.
Not that Musk didn’t warn them. In October of last year, the billionaire said that some Americans should be prepared to endure at least “some temporary hardship.”
But by all means, give Congress a raise while their constituents plead for them to stop letting Musk trample the laws of the nation and do their jobs.
The suggestion from Musk that shoveling cash at public servants would deter political corruption is laughable, given that he remains the head of multiple private companies cashing in on billions in government contracts while at the same time holding the fate of the departments and agencies overseeing those contracts and regulating his companies in his hands.
Just this week, after firing hundreds of staff at the Federal Aviation Administration — the agency that ensures SpaceX complies with federal regulations — Musk and the FAA announced that SpaceX had secured a contract with the FAA to begin testing Starlink as an upgrade to the agency’s information systems.
A $2.4 billion contract to conduct those upgrades was awarded to Verizon Communications Inc. in 2023 and, according to a Thursday report from The Washington Post, may be canceled and transferred to Musk’s company. Coincidentally, SpaceX employees were installed within the FAA in recent weeks, and according to the Post, even granted government emails.
Musk and DOGE are stepping on the toes of Congress and acting with little regard for the laws that bind government workers, elected officials, and institutions. As some Republicans grow increasingly frustrated with the billionaire’s antics, it’s a pretty convenient time for Musk to suggest they get more money.
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