As lawmakers on Capitol Hill race to avert a government shutdown, something has become abundantly clear in Washington: the emerging influence of billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk, who has been seen with President-elect Donald Trump on numerous occasions since the election, took to social media this week and contributed — in part — to helping tank a bipartisan spending bill.
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"Kill the Bill," Musk repeated Wednesday on his social media platform, X.
"One of the worst bills ever written," he added, saying that shutting down the government "is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill."
Musk's political influence is prompting some Democrats in Congress — like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — to question who is really leading the Republican Party.
"Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government," Sanders wrote on X. "The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesn't like it. Will Republicans kiss the ring? Billionaires must not be allowed to run our government."
Musk's influence on the government spending bill is being viewed by some as a precursor to his larger role in the upcoming Trump administration.
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While Musk has not been given a formal official government post, he has been asked to lead the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The unofficial agency will look at ways to reduce government spending, government regulations, and the federal workforce.
What's making Musk one of the more unique figures in American politics right now isn't just his wealth, which is estimated to be around $400 billion. It's also his reach.
Musk owns the social media platform X and has over 200 million followers — the most of anyone else on the planet.
