Elon Musk, who recently led the “department of government efficiency” (Doge) aimed at cutting state spending, has publicly asserted that President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” actively undermines those very efforts. In a CBS interview preview, Musk expressed his “disappointment” with the “massive spending bill,” emphasizing its projected $2.3 trillion addition to the budget deficit and its counterproductive impact on his cost-cutting initiatives.
Musk’s tenure leading Doge, which began in January, was focused on identifying and implementing strategies to reduce government expenditures. His departure from the Trump administration in April, following Tesla’s financial downturn and a costly Supreme Court race, signaled a potential cooling of his relationship with the president. His latest remarks solidify this perception, transforming him from a key advisor and financial supporter into a vocal critic of the administration’s fiscal policies.
The bill itself is a sprawling piece of legislation that combines extending individual and corporate tax cuts with ending clean energy incentives, drastically cutting social safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP, and funding controversial measures such as a border wall and mass deportations. This complex mix of provisions, particularly the spending increases that run contrary to Musk’s stated mission, form the basis of his strong public rebuke.