1/ Trump killed the bipartisan spending deal to avert a shutdown, hours after Elon Musk called the plan a “piece of pork” and threatened that those who support it would “be voted out in 2 years.” Less than two days before a government shutdown, Trump demanded that everything from the package except the extension to fund the government until mid-March be stripped away, calling the add-ons “DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS” despite Republicans agreeing to all of the priorities. To be sure, the stopgap spending measure expanded to include $100 billion in new disaster aid, $10 billion in economic assistance to farmers, changes to health coverage and foreign investment policies, a 3.8% pay raise for members of Congress, and a provision granting a football stadium site in D.C. for the Washington Commanders. Nevertheless, Trump called any Republican who votes for the current spending bill “stupid” and threatened that they’ll “be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible.” Speaker Mike Johnson will need Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown, since he can only afford to lose three Republicans on any proposal and some conservatives are unlikely to support whatever plan emerges. Democrats, however, are pressuring Johnson to stick to their original deal. Earlier in the day, Trump said Johnson will “easily remain speaker” if he “acts decisively and tough” and eliminates “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the spending package. Meanwhile, a growing number of Republicans – including Trump – have started to publicly call for the government to shut down until the next year, with some suggesting they keep it closed until the inauguration. Congress now has until Friday night to craft a bill that can pass the Republican-led House and the Democratic-controlled Senate and be signed by Biden before the government shuts-down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. One House Republican was overheard complaining to another member about Trump’s last-minute demands: “This is a deeply unserious party right now.” (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / NBC News / Axios / Washington Post)

• Democratic lawmakers condemned Elon Musk for sinking the bipartisan government funding bill, calling him the “unelected co-president of this country.” (Axios)
• 💭 Why does this matter? The debate over Musk’s involvement in government funding decisions reflects the increasing concentration of political power in unelected, wealthy individuals. Musk’s influence challenges the foundational democratic principle that policymaking should be accountable to voters. As leaders prioritize appeasing influential figures over serving the public, the integrity of representative democracy is at risk.

2/ After sinking the bipartisan deal to fund the government, Trump demanded that Congress also eliminate the debt ceiling, a law that limits how much money the f...