13 House Republicans-Who Voted For Trump's Mega-Bill-Now Want Changes After Musk Threat
A group of 13 House Republicans—12 of whom backed Trump’s policy bill, and several whose campaigns were backed heavily by Elon Musk—urged the Senate to make changes to the bill, supporting a clean energy tax credit provision that Tesla Energy has advocated for in a letter Friday.
This combination of pictures created on June 5, 2025 shows US President Donald Trump in the Oval ... More Office of the White House, in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2025 and Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2025. (Photo by ALEX WROBLEWSKI,ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty ImagesThe lawmakers said they “remain deeply concerned by several provisions,” including one that would “abruptly terminate several credits just 60 days after enactment for projects that have not yet begun construction,” which they said “discourages long-term investment, and could significantly delay or cancel energy infrastructure projects across the country.”
The letter was addressed to Senate leadership, which is in the process of reviewing the bill ahead of the July 4 deadline congressional leaders have set to send it to Trump’s desk.
Tesla Energy issued a similar warning against “abruptly ending the energy tax credits” in a post on X that said “we urge the senate to enact legislation with a sensible wind down.”
The letter comes after Musk has spent the better part of the past week attacking Trump and the Republicans who supported his policy bill, instructing Republicans to kill the legislation, issuing veiled threats against its GOP backers, and crediting himself for Trump’s White House win and GOP majorities in the House and Senate.
Musk’s America PAC spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to suuport several Republicans who signed the letter, including Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Thomas Kean Jr., R-N.J., and David Valadao, R-Calif.
All but one of the signors, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., who said he slept through the House vote on the bill, voted in favor of it.
It’s unclear if the letter’s timing was related to Musk’s attacks on the bill. A GOP-led effort in the Senate to loosen the restrictions on the energy tax credit rollbacks was already underway.
How Musk might punish Republicans who vote for the bill. He has said in recent months, prior to his fallout with Trump, that he would step back from making political donations, after donating more than $250 million to elect Trump in 2024. This week, he also suggested that “in November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.”
The legislation passed the House in a 215-214 vote along party lines on May 22 after some last-minute changes to appease Republican holdouts. It’s expected to undergo changes in the Senate and be sent back to the House for a vote. Some House Republicans who voted for it in May indicated they might not a second time around, with both Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., saying they wouldn’t have voted against it had they known about certain provisions.
The bill can afford to lose no more than three votes in either the House or Senate to pass. Republican leaders in Congress have sided with Trump in his feud with Musk. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Thursday “failure is not an option” after meeting Trump at the White House.
These Republicans Now Say They Regret Voting For Trump’s Policy Bill (Forbes)
‘KILL The BILL’: Musk Deepens Rant Against Trump’s Signature Policy Legislation (Forbes)
The Musk Vs. Trump Feud: Trump Considers Selling His Tesla In Latest Dig (Forbes)
