Congressional Republicans are publicly brushing off the insults and fireworks between Elon Musk and Donald Trump as a social media spat that will not dent support for the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’
But, behind the scenes, a key Democrat says this posturing belies the chaos that has engulfed the party since Musk publicly denounced the legislation. In short, he says, Republicans are running scared.
“The Republicans were leaving the floor as fast as they possibly could. They didn’t want to talk to anybody. They wanted to get out of town,” Democrat Congressman John Garamendi said shortly after a morning floor session Friday.
“I suspect when they go back to their districts, they’re going to hide in their closets,” he added.
He thinks it’s possible that fallout from the feud could impede the massive bill that will cut healthcare access for 10.9 million people and will undo critical tax credits for renewable energy, among other provisions.
“[The] Trump and Musk divorce is having a profound effect on the legislation,” he said. “It’ll play out over the weekend as the Republicans go home. I assume they’re going to talk to their constituents, maybe they’ll just hide out.”
Garamendi is a California Democrat known for supporting progressive priorities and co-sponsoring legislation such as Medicare for All, student loan forgiveness, the Green New Deal and raising the federal minimum wage. He says conservatives are terrified of Musk and are unsure of how to proceed.
“Why are we giving a tax break to the super wealthy? You think they need it? They’ve got more money they can possibly spend.”
“It’s very clear for the three Republicans I talked to, they do not know what this is going to mean, but I can tell them what it means is that the reconciliation bill is in trouble.”
“Will it cause the reconciliation bill to die? I hope so,” he said.
This is not the first time the progressive stalwart has predicted Republican disarray.
In April, Garamendi argued that the Musk-Trump relationship would fracture and that the mayhem caused by DOGE or the Department of Government Efficiency would cause Republicans to distance themselves from the President.
“Right now Republicans have a stonewall but it’s breaking,” he said at the Hands Off protest in Washington, DC. “The pressure is being built by this crowd… it will manifest and Republicans will break away from Trump.”
Just off the floor on Friday, he said his Republican colleagues did not want to talk about the messy split between Trump and Musk. He thinks the consequences from the very public falling out will play out when Congress is back in session.
“Next week’s going to be very, very important because this divorce is going to have an effect on the reconciliation legislation.”
The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is currently awaiting passage in the Senate, where it faces pushback from a variety of legislators, including fiscal hawks. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the legislation would add $2.4 trillion to the nation’s debt if passed.
Garamendi said the bill is a disaster that gives tax cuts to the richest Americans at the expense of the working class. He believes if the bill makes it through the reconciliation process and into law, voters will punish Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
“Why are we giving a tax break to the super wealthy? You think they need it? They’ve got more money they can possibly spend.”
“We don’t need to make the kind of cuts in healthcare, in food programs and international aid programs that are in that legislation.”
The current version of the bill would cut Medicaid spending by roughly $880 billion. The reduction in funding would be achieved by what Garamendi deemed burdensome red tape and work requirements that would entangle people who cannot afford health insurance.
It would also end Obamacare-related subsidies, curtailing a program that now provides health insurance to 24 million Americans. Strangely, Republican members of congress have yet to acknowledge the impact this would have on their state budgets—let alone their constituents dependent upon both healthcare programs.
Republican members of congress have yet to acknowledge the impact this would have on their state budgets—let alone their constituents dependent upon both healthcare programs.
To respond to the Republicans’ massive legislative push, we asked Garamendi if Democrats were preparing a Project 2029 to counter Project 2025, the now-infamous conservative playbook that the Trump administration has been working to implement.
Garamendi said he has been working with Democratic colleagues to craft a list of progressive priorities—and that it was needed right now.
“We were actually working on something. Project 2026,” he said. “We need an overarching message in which the Democratic Party is a party that is for the working men and women of America, for the families of America.”
We reached out to the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson for comment on Garamendi’s remarks. They have yet to respond.
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