President Musk? The DOGE leader's government shutdown push shows how he'll wield power in Washington

Patrick Pleul / POOL / AFP via Getty; iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI

• Lawmakers in both parties say Elon Musk played a major role in tanking a government funding bill.
• Now, the government is on the brink of shutting down.
• It's an early sign of how he'll wield influence as the co-lead of DOGE.

After a government funding bill went down in flames on Wednesday, lawmakers in both parties were in agreement about one thing: Elon Musk had played a huge role in bringing Washington to the brink.