WASHINGTON, D.C. Oct 31, 2025 – Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk intensified the partisan divide over the ongoing U.S. government shutdown on Friday, accusing Democrats of engineering the crisis to secure billions in funding for undocumented immigrants, whom he claimed would bolster their voter base.
In a clip shared by America PAC – a political action committee founded by Musk to support candidates aligned with former President Donald Trump’s agenda – Musk laid bare what he described as the “crux of the battle” behind the impasse. Speaking from what appeared to be a podcast studio, Musk, dressed in a black Tesla-branded T-shirt, stated: “The entire basis for the government shutdown is that… the Trump administration correctly does not want to send massive amounts of… hundreds of billions of dollars… to fund illegal immigrants in blue states. In all the states, really. And so the Democrats want to keep the money spigot going to incentivize illegal immigrants to come into the U.S. who will vote for them.”
The 32-second video, posted late Thursday evening, quickly garnered over 13,000 views and sparked a flurry of supportive replies from conservative users. One respondent called Democrats “criminals,” while another argued the party views the influx of immigrants as “existential” to their electoral future. The post from @america, which has positioned itself as a champion of “secure borders” and “sensible spending,” framed Musk’s remarks as a direct indictment of Democratic priorities.
The federal government has been partially shut down since late October, with non-essential services halted and hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed or working without pay. The standoff stems from a bitter dispute over a continuing resolution to fund the government through the fiscal year. Republicans, led by President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, have demanded concessions on border security and immigration enforcement, refusing to approve any bill that includes what they call “loopholes” for noncitizen benefits.
At the heart of the controversy are provisions in Democratic-backed spending bills that expand eligibility for programs like Medicaid and refugee assistance, which critics argue indirectly subsidize undocumented individuals. Vance amplified this narrative in a tweet earlier this month, claiming Democrats were willing to “shut down the government because they demand we fund healthcare for illegal aliens.” Fact-checkers have pushed back, noting that such expansions primarily target legal immigrants and U.S. citizens in mixed-status families, though the rhetoric has fueled accusations of voter importation schemes.
Musk, a vocal Trump supporter who donated millions to Republican causes during the 2024 election cycle, has increasingly waded into policy debates since Trump’s return to the White House. His comments echo broader GOP talking points, including Trump’s recent call to eliminate the Senate filibuster to force through immigration reforms. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, however, rebuffed the idea, stating his position remains “unchanged.”
Democrats, meanwhile, have accused the administration of using the shutdown as leverage to enact a hardline immigration agenda, including an indefinite ban on refugee resettlement and reduced oversight of enforcement agencies. California Governor Gavin Newsom lambasted the Trump team in a statement Friday, calling the shutdown “no treats, all tricks” and warning it would “kill the economy” by withholding aid to vulnerable Americans.
As negotiations drag into a second week – with the Senate adjourning for the weekend without a deal – the shutdown’s impact on immigration processing is mounting. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, largely fee-funded, faces delays in visa approvals and asylum claims, while border patrol operations continue at reduced capacity.
White House officials have set up a “shutdown clock” website to highlight the impasse, blaming Democrats for risking services for millions. Trump, in a Fox News interview Thursday, vowed not to budge, stating, “We’re not funding the invasion anymore.”
Musk’s intervention adds fuel to an already combustible debate, underscoring the tech mogul’s growing influence in Trump’s orbit. Whether it sways lawmakers remains to be seen, but with Halloween behind us and Election Day 2026 looming, the “spigot” Musk decries shows no signs of closing.
