Musk’s influence on Congress leaves little room for the rest of us

ALSO INSIDE: Tillis’ vote against Trump is proof voters still have a say in how they’re represented

Jul 01, 2025

Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.

And if you’re looking for a little more from COURIER, Akilah Hughes’ new series, “How is This Better?” explores why politics feels more like a reality show than real life, and our docuseries “REPRESENT” follows candidate Deja Foxx as she gets real about the highs and lows of running for Congress.

Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of its own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.

It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.

What Happened

The Republican-controlled US Senate narrowly passed an amended version of President Donald Trump’s budget Tuesday and sent it back to the House for approval. In theory, this is the time when House Members would negotiate across party lines to craft a budget that appeals to, and represents the wishes of, a majority of Americans.

And to some extent, that’s the case. Senators added a few minor concessions due to public demand — they removed a blanket restriction on AI regulation and took millions of acres of public land off the market. But in a political system where corporations are people and spending money is a form of free speech, the 800 billionaires in the US are granted a much louder voice than the country’s other 340 million residents.

That’s why Trump’s split with campaign mega-donor Elon Musk over the budget proposal has created a showdown between the world’s most powerful man and its wealthiest. The fate of Trump’s bill could come down to what holds more influence: money or power? Either way, the voters seem to hold the least sway with their electeds, thanks to the immense influence money is allowed to have on politics.

Trump has promised to primary any Republican who votes against his budget; Musk has vowed to do the same for anyone who votes to pass it. Trump has the might of the United States government, his own social media platform, and 17 million MAGA voters who would never turn their backs on him. Musk has $400 billion, a much larger social media platform, and about 12 million Republican voters who would potentially follow his endorsement over Trump’s. 73% of Musk-backed congressional candidates won in 2024, while 90% of Trump-endorsed candidates won during the last midterm election.

Traditional reporting on the back-and-forth between Musk and Trump has been mostly relegated to horse race journalism, as I wrote about yesterday. Far-right outlets, on the other hand, have gone all-in on Trump, and are pushing the idea that Musk should be deported.

The mere fact that Musk’s sole support will be the deciding factor in how democratically elected representatives will vote speaks to how money has broken the US electoral system. In a way, it mirrors the Gilded Age, when there were no campaign finance laws and wealthy business owners were expected to use the weight of their purse to tip the scales in their favor.

But not exactly.

I spoke with journalist and Gangsters of Capitalism author Jonathan Katz about this, and he described a subtle difference in how oligarchs operated then versus now.

“A new president has been voted in by the people, and he gets to pick everybody. And this is really what Donald Trump is to bring back. He's trying to go back to a spoils system,” Katz said. “Everybody owes the president; everybody declares loyalty to the president. In fact, in a lot of ways, he's trying to go farther than that.”

It remains to be seen whether Trump will be able to rein in the spoils system he’s attempted to create, or if modern oligarchs decide they can buy influence to get around the president altogether.

Keep an eye out for more from my interview with Katz — and in the meantime, subscribe to his daily newsletter, The Racket.

Attempts to Sanewash

Far-Right Spin

While Congress votes, staffers are keeping tally

*After everything I outlined above regarding Musk’s outsized influence on elections, I feel it’s important to re-run this section from yesterday about what the public can do to make their voice heard, with updated information on how to find and contact your representative in the House.

This is a democracy – voters are responsible for how their representatives represent them. And today and in the coming days, representatives will use that power and potentially create one of those last-second vote changes that turn tides, like Sen. John McCain’s vote to save the Affordable Care Act in 2018, or Sen. Thom Tillis’ decision not to back Trump’s budget bill just the other day.

And with the levels of unpopularity this bill has achieved among the public, convincing those who represent the public to vote against it is and should be a top priority for everyone – and should, logically, be an easy task.

But first, a reminder of what’s at stake:

If Trump and MAGA’s budget bill passes, analysts from Wharton estimate that households earning less than $51,000 — which is a third of all US households — would actually see their income drop next year.

At the same time, the top 0.1% of households would get an average boost of $390,000.

While this bill stuffs money into the pockets of the ultra-wealthy, it simultaneously strips billions and billions of dollars in funding for Medicaid and food assistance programs. But even with those major cuts to programs like Medicaid, it’s still not enough to cover the tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. The independent Congressional Budget Office estimates this will add $2.5 trillion to the national deficit by 2035.

On the other hand, if the rich were to actually pay their fair share, we could make some real progress. If Trump’s $600 billion in tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy were used in a different way, they could:

End homelessness in America three times over
Fund universal health care for children four times over
Build 3 million homes for veterans

All of this is being debated in the House again this week, and voters who have an opinion on this bill are encouraged to call or message their representative so they know where people stand when they cast their vote. Every member of Congress I’ve spoken with has told me that their staff meticulously tracks every public comment they receive, and it is absolutely factored into their decision on how to vote.

At the same time, they’re hearing from billionaires, corporations, and other major donors who want this bill to pass so they can pay less taxes. This all explains why Sen. Rand Paul ultimately voted to pass the budget after initially opposing it, and Sen. Susan Collins voted against it on Tuesday, despite having voted to pass it three days prior.

When you call or email, you’ll probably get a form response back, and it will feel like you’re speaking into a void. But your outreach is tracked, monitored, and factored into a decision that will impact the US for decades to come.

Unlike in the US Senate, each person is only represented by one House member. Anyone can look up their representative on the House website, and the non-profit 5 Calls has prompts outlining what to say when you call their office.

Idaho US Sen. Mike Crapo

Since taking office in 1999, Sen. Crapo has:

Seen his net worth increase from $1.4 million to $3.5 million
Sponsored 602 bills
Authored 10 bills that have been signed into law
Had his license suspended for a year in 2013 for drunk driving
Initially said January 6 rioters should be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” but later supported their pardons and called them “political prisoners”
Hasn’t held a public town hall since 2022, but does host private, Republican-only fora regularly

Fun Facts

Sen. Crapo has established himself in Congress as a leader in fiscal policy and, in 2025, was made chair of the powerful Finance Committee. His use of campaign funds, however, paints a much more fiscally irresponsible picture.

While Crapo raises an impressive amount of money for a Republican Senator in a red state, his stewardship over his supporters’ money is lackluster at best. His campaign almost never files its finance reports accurately or on time, resulting in some serious accounting mishaps. In 2008, for example, Crapo was completely oblivious that a staffer took out a $250,000 loan that was never paid back.

Political action committees (PACs) bankrolling Crapo aren’t much better. An ethics complaint was lodged against Crapo for his Freedom Fund PAC’s use of campaign funds. At the time, his wife had received about $200,000 in campaign funds. She would receive smaller amounts before an election, presumably so as not to raise any suspicion, then lump sums shortly after the results were in.

Despite this, Crapo has been given one of the most coveted chair seats in the Senate, and has already used it to aid Trump in his quest to cripple the US economy. In late February, he killed Democratic Sen. Chris Coons’ STABLE Trade Policy Act, which would have required Congress to sign off on any tariffs.

Defector speaks out in North Carolina

One Republican who consistently voted against Trump’s budget proposal is North Carolina US Sen. Thom Tillis. He’s historically supported Trump, but — as is common under authoritarian leaders — the slightest opposition has put Tillis in MAGA’s crosshairs.

cardinalandpine

A post shared by @cardinalandpine

Tillis has announced he will not run for reelection, and our reporters at COURIER’s newsroom in his state, Cardinal & Pine, put together an intriguing analysis regarding Tillis’ decision to vote based on what his constituents told him they wanted, even though he likely knew it would spark his retirement:

“Tillis explained on the Senate floor this weekend why he was voting against his party’s huge budget bill. While he supported some of the changes to Medicaid, the total package would eventually kick 636,000 North Carolinians off their health insurance, violating President Trump’s previous promises not to cut the program.

He said he spent the last few weeks talking to bipartisan medical experts in the state about the consequences of the cuts. He suggested his colleagues had not done the same due diligence and were about to enact these cuts without understanding what they would do to their constituents.”

Tillis later said his colleagues who sided with Trump over the public “really don’t give a damn about the people they promised to represent.”

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