Presented by CCA, TIA, WIA, and Ericsson — {beacon} Technology Technology   PRESENTED BY  The Big Story  Musk floods X with stopgap misinformation Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk unleashed a flood of misinformation about Congress’s end-of-year funding deal Wednesday, as he pushed Republicans to torpedo the bill. © Christophe Petit-Tesson, Pool via AP Musk, a close ally of President-elect Trump, turned to his social platform X just hours after the continuing resolution was unveiled Tuesday night to argue the deal “should not pass.”     He launched a flurry of posts and re-posts, occasionally spreading incorrect information about everything from lawmaker pay raises to the cost of a football stadium in Washington, D.C.    The 20-hour campaign was ultimately successful, prompting Trump to disavow the measure and send Republicans back to the drawing board.   “X has become almost this megaphone for Elon Musk, where he can either shout at congresspeople or give this halo effect to questionable accounts that are providing questionable or false information,” said Erik Nisbet, director of Northwestern University’s Center for Communication & Public Policy.    Musk’s crusade against the spending bill began with an unfounded criticism that the measure would include “a 40% pay increase” for Congress, posted to his personal account and the X account for his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).    The claim was based on another user’s post, which asserted that the legislation would raise lawmaker salaries from $174,000 to $243,000.    The funding deal did remove language that previously blocked lawmakers from receiving a raise.   However, the maximum potential January adjustment is 3.8 percent, which would result in a $6,600 raise, according to a recent report from the Congressional Research Service.    Another claim amplified by Musk is that the bill would prevent any investigation into the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.   However, the bill’s text makes no mention of the riot and only clarifies that House data stored elsewhere is still under the control of House rules.     “A lot of (Musk’s) strategy is really leveraging his personal brand, throwing a lot of different claims against the wall to see what sticks,” Nisbet added.     Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.   Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Miranda Nazzaro and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:   Amazon workers to strike at multiple sites: Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union announced Amazon workers would strike starting Thursday in five confirmed states ahead of the Christmas holiday, citing the company’s absence from the bargaining negotiations as a reason. “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” …  Full Story   Musk floods X with spending bill misinformation Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk unleashed a flood of misinformation about Congress’s end-of-year funding deal Wednesday, as he pushed Republicans to torpedo the stopgap bill. Musk, a close ally of President-elect Trump, turned to his social platform X just hours after the continuing resolution was unveiled Tuesday night to argue the deal “should not pass.”   He launched a flurry of posts and reposts, occasionally spreading …  Full Story   Trump team affirms he’s leader of GOP amid ‘President Musk’ barbs President-elect Trump’s transition team pushed back against Democratic lawmakers who suggested Elon Musk is the “real leader” of the Republican Party after his aggressive pressure campaign against a stopgap spending measure. “As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR [continuing resolution], Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view. President Trump is the leader of …  Full Story   Marjorie Taylor Greene open to Musk for Speaker Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Thursday she would be open to supporting Elon Musk for House Speaker, an idea proposed by other Republicans as Congress faces a government shutdown Friday night. Musk railed against the continuing resolution (CR) negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) throughout Wednesday, helping tank the bill. Johnson is now considering alternative plans with less than two days until government …  Full Story A MESSAGE FROM CCA, TIA, WIA, AND ERICSSON Rip & Replace funding marks historic milestone for the U.S.  The participants in the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Reimbursement Program thank Congress for providing the resources to secure U.S. telecom networks, particularly in rural America. Learn more. The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:   Venture firms vow not to take funds from China, Russia More than 20 venture capital firms have promised not to take funds from U.S. foreign adversaries like China, Russia, Iran and Cuba, as part of a new pledge called the Clean Capital Certification, TechCrunch reported.   Biden administration consider plan to open federal land to AI data centers  The Biden administration is drafting a plan to permit the construction of data centers and electrical power plants on federal lands as the U.S. seeks to keep up in the artificial intelligence (AI) race, The Washington Post reports.   The Hill Jobs  Interested in exploring a new career? Visit The Hill Jobs Board to discover millions of roles worldwide, including:   Executive Assistant — Venn Strategies, Washington, D.C.  Apply   Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Development — National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Washington, D.C.  Apply Manager, Federal Government Relations / Chef de service, Relations gouvernementales – Fédéral — Canadian Bankers Association, Ottawa  Apply   Director/Senior Director of Admissions - Washington, D.C. Campus — InsideHigherEd, Chicago  Apply   Click here to get your job mentioned   In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Rand Paul floats Elon Musk for Speaker Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested Elon Musk serve as Speaker in a Thursday morning post on X following contentious debates over the continuing resolution (CR). “The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . ,” Paul wrote. “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it .  . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ … Full Story A MESSAGE FROM CCA, TIA, WIA, AND ERICSSON Rip & Replace funding marks historic milestone for the U.S.  The participants in the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Reimbursement Program thank Congress for providing the resources to secure U.S. telecom networks, particularly in rural America. Learn more. What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Live updates: Trump endorses GOP’s revamped spending bill, Jeffries calls it ‘laughable’ House Republicans say they have a deal for a new spending plan after the first one, a bipartisan effort, went down in flames when it was rejected by … Read more Trump backs plan B spending deal, urges swift passage President-elect Trump on Thursday backed a new spending deal brokered by House Republicans to avert a shutdown after a previous proposal was torpedoed … Read more     You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Technology newsletter Subscribe