Trump, Musk Force Halt on GOP Spending Bill; TICKET Reforms Stalled

President-Elect Donald Trump and unelected (but powerful) tech billionaire Elon Musk led a charge that caused the House GOP to kill its own continuing resolution government funding bill, which means the TICKET Act returns to limbo rather than going into effect as part of the massive legislative package that was expected to pass this week to avert a shutdown.

The TICKET Act, which has passed the house in overwhelming fashion but not yet been taken up as a standalone bill in the senate, had been included in the massive spending package over a fierce late lobby from industry insiders and Live Nation Entertainment allies. As written, it would have made “all-in” ticket prices the law across the country, as well as banning so-called “speculative” ticket listings, crack down on websites that deliberately mislead consumers into believing they are the primary seller, and require refunds for events that are postponed or cancelled.

READ MORE: TICKET Act provisions poised for passage in Govt. funding bill

Consumer advocates had celebrated the inclusion of the commonsense consumer protections in the continuing resolution bill, which had been expected to pass quickly, since it was delivered as a compromise by the GOP leadership of the House. But the bipartisan bill to avoid the government shutdown came under heavy fire by figures tied to the incoming administration soon after it was announced.

Musk, one of the world’s richest men who has been tabbed to lead a new government efficiency agency under Trump, took to the X social media platform he now owns to blast the deal. “Any member of the House or Senate 2who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”

This bill should not pass https://t.co/eccQ6COZJ4

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024

With the incoming administration now angling for GOP leadership to push for a more focused emergency funding bill, the likelihood of something like TICKET Act remaining in the mix for approval is dim.

The powerful vendor and promoter lobbying apparatus is almost certainly celebrating the continuing resolution and TICKET Act inclusion’s demise as a victory, even if it wasn’t the kind it sought. Once it became clear that the TICKET Act would be included in the CR, organizations within the so-called Fix The Tix coalition worked hard to see it stripped from the spending bill. This is in spite of the fact that the coalition, its constituent groups, and Live Nation Entertainment had all made public statements in support of TICKET Act when it passed the house earlier in 2024.

READ MORE: Venue Lobby Reverses Support; Seeks to Kill Bipartisan TICKET Act

It is believed that NIVA’s efforts to kill the ticketing language in the CR were driven by a desire to make a renewed push for the “Fans First Act” legislation backed by it and other members of the so-called “Fix The Tix” coalition (and modeled largely on Live Nation Entertainment’s legislative agenda) once the new Republican administration takes over in the new year.

“All players in the system had input and TICKET Act was the compromise. [Organizations like NIVA and Live Nation/Ticketmaster] endorsed it but clearly never really did,” one source with knowledge of the backdoor lobbying effort told TicketNews. “Federal and state lawmakers should appreciate that some who claim to represent venues and artists are just the same as Ticketmaster – it’s “my way or nothing” with them. The TICKET Act is a fan protection bill and that’s what it will do. It’s not about protecting for-profit industry players, nor should it be.”

Assuming the TICKET Act language is not resurrected in whatever last-minute spending package is put together this week (or beyond if a government shutdown cannot be avoided before the deadline), it is unclear where things go. Messages sent to press contacts for the bill’s sponsors have not yet received a response as of Thursday morning.

Despite TICKET Act’s being stalled, consumers in the U.S. will likely see “all-in” pricing on tickets across the country by early 2025, as the FTC announced its new rules on such practices this week.