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Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by <a href="https://lipperalpha.refinitiv.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="topnav_more_refinitive_info">Refinitiv Lipper</a>. <br>House speaker gives reporters an update on a vote to avoid a possible government shutdown.<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-senate-dems-pour-cold-water-latest-gop-spending-bill-plans-ready-stay-through-christmas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate Democrats labeled billionaire</a> Elon Musk "co-president" and "shadow speaker" among other titles as they reacted to the original stopgap spending deal's implosion on Wednesday after he and ultimately President-elect Trump came out against it. <br>Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Musk "seems to be the guy in charge of the country now," reacting to his apparent ability to influence the bill's prompt failure despite it having been agreed upon by bipartisan leaders in Congress. <br>If a measure to provide funding for the government is not passed by Congress and signed by President Biden by midnight on Saturday morning, a partial government shutdown will go into effect. <br>As of Thursday, the<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/us-national-debt-tracker" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><u> U.S. national debt</u></a> was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to climb rapidly. <br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-republicans-attempt-fast-track-emergency-military-pay-brace-shutdown"><strong>SENATE REPUBLICANS TRY TO FAST-TRACK EMERGENCY MILITARY PAY AS THEY BRACE FOR SHUTDOWN</strong></a><br><span>Elon Musk, left, was credited with taking down the first version of the spending bill.</span> <span>(Brandon Bell)</span><br>After a 1,547-page short-term spending bill was debuted this week. Musk quickly took to X to trash it, pointing out various seemingly irrelevant provisions as well as its cost and length. <br>He was soon joined by other critics, and Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance issued their own statement opposing the bill. <br>This led to significant criticism from Democrats unhappy with Musk's apparent ability to influence Trump and the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-republicans-attempt-fast-track-emergency-military-pay-brace-shutdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republicans in Congress</a>. <br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-republicans-attempt-fast-track-emergency-military-pay-brace-shutdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: 'READY TO STAY' THROUGH CHRISTMAS</strong></a><br><span>Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Musk "seems to be the guy in charge of the country now."</span> <span>(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)</span><br>"He's the one who seems to be calling the shots," Warren told reporters. <br>"Elon Musk is the one evidently in charge of the Republican Party and has blown that deal up. So I don't know how the Republicans are planning to recover from that," she said. <br>Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., suggested that Musk is "already the shadow speaker of the House," in a slight against House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-republicans-attempt-fast-track-emergency-military-pay-brace-shutdown"><strong>TIM SCOTT'S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES</strong></a><br><span>Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called Musk the "shadow speaker."</span> <span>(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)</span><br>"I think he's unelected, and he's created a whole lot of damage," said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.<br>He claimed Republicans in Congress were "busy listening to Co-President Musk and co-President Trump." <br>"I'm listening to the people of Georgia, especially the farmers who are struggling to get disaster relief. And, we need to make sure that we get that over the finish line," said Warnock.<br>Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., reiterated that Musk is not an elected official. "He doesn't have any official government job," he said. <br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/make-america-healthy-again-caucus-launched-sen-marshall-after-rfk-jr-meeting"><strong>'MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN' CAUCUS LAUNCHED BY SEN MARSHALL AFTER RFK JR MEETING</strong></a><br><span>Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., pointed out that Musk was not elected.</span> <span>(Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)</span><br>"We had a deal with Republicans in the House and now, because of him, the president-elect is on the verge of people losing their jobs and not getting paid over the holidays," Kelly said of a potential partial shutdown if a bill is not passed by a deadline of midnight on Saturday morning. <br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/apps-products?pid=AppArticleLink"><strong>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</strong></a><br>Despite their Democratic colleagues' claims, Republicans pushed back on the idea that Trump was being influenced by Musk. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., noted that there are "lots of people around President Trump," adding that he doesn't think Musk has control over what the president-elect does. <br>Musk was tapped by Trump, along with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to lead what is called the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doge-caucus-leader-joni-ernst-eyes-relocation-out-dc-third-federal-workers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)</a>, a proposed advisory board tasked with eliminating government waste.<br>Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner. <br>Follow Julia's reporting on X at <a href="https://twitter.com/juliaajohnson_?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">@JuliaaJohnson_</a> and send tips to <a href="mailto:Julia.Johnson@fox.com" rel="nofollow">Julia.Johnson@fox.com</a>.<br>Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.<br>By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/terms-of-use">Terms of Use</a>, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.<br>Subscribed<br> You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! <br> This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. 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Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by <a href="https://lipperalpha.refinitiv.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="footer_refinitive_info">Refinitiv Lipper</a>. <br><br><a href="https://news.google.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?oc=5">source</a>
