Presented by CCA, TIA, WIA, and Ericsson — {beacon} \ Technology Technology   PRESENTED BY  The Big Story  Republicans shrug as Elon Musk takes aim in primaries House Republicans are largely brushing aside Elon Musk’s threats to unseat members who supported the initial government funding measure he helped torpedo this week.   © Brandon Bell, Pool via Associated Press After the tech billionaire called for the backers of that bipartisan bill to be voted out in two years, some GOP members dismissed Musk’s tirade as simply part of the “game” of Washington politics.     But even those who seem unfazed by threats suggest some colleagues could have good reason to worry given Musk’s immense wealth, ties to President-elect Trump and growing influence in Congress.    “I’ve been primaried four times, and I‘m more of a rebellious guy. If you threaten me, I dig my heels in and I don’t respond well to threats,” one GOP lawmaker said of Musk’s primary threats.    “All those social influencers out there were against me in the last primary, with a million followers and I didn’t back down an edge,” the lawmaker added, granted anonymity to speak candidly.     The lawmaker was one of the House Republicans to defend the original funding bill, which Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rolled out Tuesday night to avert a shutdown.     The bill was quickly lambasted by conservative spending hawks, including Musk, who posted online dozens of times Wednesday calling for members to reject the more-than-1,500-page measure, describing it as a big “piece of pork.”     Musk, the co-leader of Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) panel focused on slashing government spending, said any lawmaker who supported the bill should be voted out of office in 2026.     Trump used the same tactic Thursday, when he encouraged Republicans in Texas to consider a primary challenge to Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) for going against the president-elect's push to raise the debt ceiling.     When asked about Musk’s threats, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) pointed to his experience as a retired Navy SEAL senior chief, quipping, there is “not a whole lot of stuff I’m afraid of.”     “I work for the people in the 3rd Congressional District in the state of Wisconsin,” he repeated to The Hill twice.     Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) cited his past primary wins as a reason to not fear Musk, or any other primary threats.     “I don’t worry about it because I’ve already had, I’ve already been primaried, and it didn’t work out so well. I will do what’s right and that’s all I can do,” McCormick said.      McCormick, who was among the 38 Republicans to vote against the clean continuing resolution, later acknowledged Musk’s current sway with some House members, while signaling he will not cave to pressure.   “Last time I checked, Elon Musk doesn’t have a vote in Congress. Now, he has influence, and he’ll put pressure on us to do whatever he thinks is right for him, but I have 760,000 people who voted for people to do the right thing for them,” he told CNN on Thursday.     Read more in a full report Sunday morning 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.   Programming note: The Technology newsletter will not publish next week. We'll be back Dec. 30. Happy Holidays!    Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:   Senators urge Biden to delay TikTok ban Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) urged President Biden on Thursday to grant TikTok a 90-day extension to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban.  The pair emphasized the current deadline is set for Jan. 19, the day before a new administration takes office, and the Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments on the case for Jan. 10.  “The stakes here are high: As a practical matter, …  Full Story   Murphy, Kinzinger slam Musk for backing German ‘neo-Nazi party’ Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Friday joined outrage over Elon Musk’s endorsement of the far-right German political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has been criticized as a neo-Nazi group, ahead of February elections in the country.  Musk, the tech billionaire and close ally to President-elect Trump, posted on his social platform X that “only the AfD can save Germany,” triggering backlash in the U.S. and from Berlin.  …  Full Story   Amazon settles worker safety investigation Amazon has reached a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over working conditions at the e-commerce giant’s facilities, the Labor Department announced Thursday.  The settlement agreement resolves the worker safety watchdog’s cases against Amazon for ergonomic hazards and requires the company to take measures to protect workers from conditions that could lead to lower back injuries …  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:   OpenAI says new AI can 'reason' through math, science problems OpenAI unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) system, OpenAI o3, which can "reason" through problems involving math, science and computer programming, The New York Times reports.   Third member of LockBit ransomware gang arrested  Federal prosecutors in New Jersey announced charges against a dual Russian-Israeli national for alleged involvement in the LockBit ransomware gang, TechCrunch reports.     In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Tesla recalling almost 700K vehicles over tire pressure monitors Tesla is recalling nearly 700,000 vehicles over an issue with the warning light on the tire pressure monitoring system.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wrote in a Thursday letter that the automaker is recalling certain 2017-2025 Model 3, 2020-2025 Model Y and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles.  The agency said the tire pressure monitoring system warning light “may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, … 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: Johnson to try vote on modified plan B: ‘We will not have a government shutdown’  The House on Friday will make another attempt at passing legislation to avert a government shutdown, staging a vote on a revamped spending proposal … Read more Senate Republicans fume over ‘fiasco’ in House Senate Republicans were left fuming Thursday over what they called the dysfunctional “s‑‑‑ show” and “fiasco” they witnessed in the House as two … Read more   What Others are Reading  Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: Online privacy and data integrity — a crisis of trust  How the US can prepare for skies teeming with drones     You're all caught up. See you next time!