WaPo’s Jeff Stein stunned by Republicans defying Trump

Washington Post Economics reporter at the White House Jeff Stein is “stunned” by the number of Republican lawmakers who chose to defy Donald Trump And Elon Musk by voting against the spending bill.

Earlier this week, President Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced his bipartisan spending bill, negotiated with Democrats, to keep the government open through March. However, the bill died when Musk and the president-elect came out against it, leading to the creation of a more modest spending bill Thursday night.

However, 38 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill, despite pressure from Trump and Musk. Deficit advocates within the Republican Party were opposed to Trump’s demand to raise the debt ceiling for two years.

I’m not a congressional reporter, so this may not be surprising to those who are, but honestly, I’m still a little stunned by the number of Republicans in the House – 38! — challenged **Trump and Musk** to vote against the spending bill last night

1 GOP strategist told me today: “38 shows…

– Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) December 20, 2024

“I’m not a congressional reporter, so this may not be surprising to those who are, but honestly, I’m still a little stunned by the number of Republicans in the House – 38! – challenged **Trump and Musk** to vote against the spending bill last night,” Stein wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

He added: “A GOP strategist told me today: ’38 is showing weakness and feeding on itself. Either you have to bring these people to heel or make an example of them – if you can do that without penalty it will only embolden people. »

“Massive implications for political fights over taxes and spending next year with small House margins,” Stein concluded.