Elon Musk has expressed his disapproval of Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ following his recent departure from the White House.
Last week, the tech billionaire announced that his tenure at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had concluded, officially stepping down on Friday, May 30.
Musk’s stint as a ‘special government employee’ since January was fraught with challenges, yet he remained a steadfast ally to Donald Trump, often referred to as the president’s ‘first buddy’.
Now that Musk has left the White House, the CEO of Tesla is openly criticizing the new ‘big beautiful bill’ introduced by the Trump administration.
The legislation, narrowly passed in the House on May 22, proposes a series of temporary tax reductions lasting until 2028. These include the elimination of taxes on tips for service and beauty industry workers, and a halt on taxes for overtime workers, with funds being reallocated to military and border security.
Using Twitter as his platform, Musk denounced the bill as an ‘abomination’ and criticized those who supported it.
He tweeted, “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
In further comments, the SpaceX CEO stated: “It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.”
Musk accused Congress of ‘making America bankrupt’ and advocated for the removal of politicians who betrayed the public in the elections next November.
The New York Post reported that insiders believe Musk’s critique is driven by multiple factors.
These factors include the removal of electric vehicle tax credits by House Republicans, which previously benefited Tesla, and Musk’s inability to continue leading DOGE beyond the 130-day limit.
Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration has supposedly decided against utilizing his Starlink satellite system for national air traffic control.
Moreover, Trump reportedly removed Musk’s supporter Jared Isaacman from a leadership role at NASA due to ‘prior associations’, likely referring to Isaacman’s past donations to Democratic causes, according to the Post.
This isn’t Musk’s first clash with the bill; he previously expressed ‘disappointment’ in a CBS interview, stating it undermines the work of the DOGE team.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Musk’s criticism, stating: “The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn’t change his opinion.”
Besides tax cuts, the bill allows for tax deductions up to $10,000 on interest for vehicles manufactured in the U.S., and imposes $200 taxes on gun silencers.
Controversially, the bill aims to cut Medicaid and SNAP food stamp benefits, compensating for the revenue loss by reducing funds for undocumented immigrants and restricting access to gender transition services for children and adults.
The Congressional Budget Office predicts these changes will result in 8.6 million fewer people having healthcare coverage, with the adjustments to Medicaid, food stamps, and other services expected to save a trillion dollars.