Does Elon Musk want government shutdown amid Trump's efforts to avoid one? ‘It would be really hard for him…’

Elon Musk has verbalized a wish for a government shutdown, according to four sources familiar with the Tesla CEO's stance told WIRED on the condition of anonymity. This revelation comes at a time when President Donald Trump has been attempting to bring House Republicans together to advance their agenda and avert government shutdown.

Musk has advocated for a government shutdown, which is in opposition to the White House's declared intention to avoid one, because it might make it simpler to fire thousands of federal employees, effectively resulting in a permanent shutdown, WIRED reported, citing sources.

According to a Republican with knowledge of the matter, Musk has preferred a shutdown. “I think he’s boxed in there by the president. I think it would be really hard for him to get around that.”

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The House approved a short-term spending bill on Tuesday with a vote of 217 to 213, funding the US government through the end of September, in anticipation of a possible government shutdown.

On Democrat supported the bill, which contains cuts to domestic programs, such as certain forms of health care and veterans programs, and a modest rise in defense expenditure. On the other hand, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican, abstained from voting.

Democrats in the Senate, whose votes are required to pass the bill and prevent a shutdown, are under a lot of pressure now.

The bill now needs the support of at least eight Democrats in a bid to arrive at President Donald Trump's desk.

Speaker Mike Johnson advanced the bill by threatening Democrats to reject it and face a shutdown that would start on Saturday if Congress did not take action on the continuing resolution, which lawmakers frequently refer to as a CR.

“Here’s the bottom line. If congressional Democrats refuse to support this clean CR, they will be responsible for every troop who misses a paycheck, for every flight delay from reduced staffing at TSA, for every negative consequence that comes from shutting down the government,” Johnson said.

House lawmakers intended to depart Washington following Tuesday's vote, as the federal government runs out of funds at the end of the day on Friday.

A potential shutdown is imminent with Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashing through the government and laying off an estimated tens of thousands of workers.

Many federal departments and programs would effectively be put on hold in the event of a government shutdown. Important operations like the issuance of Social Security checks would not be directly impacted.

However, agencies like the FBI and others with law enforcement and security functions would essentially continue to operate normally, even though some government employees would not be paid until the shutdown gets over.

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