Elon Musk Comes To Capitol Hill To Meet With Republicans Who Discuss Turning Doge Cuts Into Law

Billionaire Elon Musk arrived on Capitol Hill Tuesday and learned about something new - budget rescissions, an obscure legislative tool that could bring legal heft to his federal budget slashing effort and enshrine the cuts into law.

Musk joined a lunch meeting with Republican senators just hours after the Supreme Court issued a setback to the Trump administration's efforts to freeze some 2 billion in foreign aid funds as part of its sweeping shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development . As he opened the private session, Musk led with a message urging Congress to act.

Over plates of fried catfish, senators explained how the White House could put the billions of dollars of savings he has amassed into what's called a budget rescissions package, and send it to Congress for a vote to rescind the funding. Musk seemed thrilled, they said.

"He was so happy," said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the Republican chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, who is among those championing the effort. "He didn't know."

Later, Musk met with House Republicans at dinnertime in the Capitol basement.