Musk Criticizes Trump’s $4 Trillion Spending Bill, Exit US Government Role

In a rare public disagreement with his former ally, Elon Musk has criticised the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” introduced by Donald Trump, calling it a threat to the country’s financial stability.

Naijaonpoint reports that Musk, known for his leadership of SpaceX and Tesla, raised concerns about the bill’s potential to increase the deficit and undermine efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a body tasked with reducing government spending.

Musk, who had previously been a close supporter of Trump, including a major donor to his 2024 re-election campaign, expressed disappointment over the massive spending bill during an interview with CBS News.

The interview excerpt aired on Tuesday, with Musk criticising the bill for potentially exacerbating the nation’s budget deficit.

“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said. DOGE, which Musk had headed, was responsible for reducing government spending, including laying off thousands of federal employees.

Musk, who had been involved in government efficiency efforts under Trump, also commented on the contradiction between the bill’s expansive spending and his efforts to curb wasteful government spending.

“I think a bill can be big, or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both. That’s my personal opinion,” Musk added in the interview, which will air in full on Sunday.

The bill, which passed the US House of Representatives last week and is now moving to the Senate, includes significant tax cuts and spending reductions, as well as measures that critics argue could devastate healthcare services and add up to $4 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade.

In response to Musk’s comments, the White House sought to downplay any disagreements regarding government spending, with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller clarifying that the “Big Beautiful Bill” was not part of the annual federal budget, and cuts to DOGE would need to be handled separately.

Miller took to Musk’s social media platform, 𝕏, to stress that any cuts to the federal bureaucracy would require a distinct legislative process.

Musk’s remarks reflect a growing frustration with the challenges he faced while heading DOGE. He criticised the entrenched bureaucracy of Washington, D.C., and acknowledged that his own lack of experience with Washington’s political landscape contributed to the difficulties of achieving his objectives.

Musk admitted, “The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized. I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in DC, to say the least.”

Despite the massive downsizing of government departments and the removal of tens of thousands of employees under his leadership, Musk acknowledged that his efforts were not fully successful.

His time with DOGE also negatively impacted his businesses, with Tesla dealerships being targeted by protesters and even arsonists setting fire to some electric vehicles, leading to a slump in profits.

As Musk stepped back from his role in DOGE, his attention shifted back to SpaceX, where he has faced a series of setbacks in his quest to colonise Mars. The latest of these setbacks came on Tuesday when the company’s prototype Starship exploded over the Indian Ocean.

In light of his political involvement and its impact on his personal fortune, Musk announced last week that he would scale back on his political spending, having already invested a significant portion of his wealth—around $250 million—in supporting Trump.