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Elon Musk slams Trump’s spending bill; says “it undermines DOGE’s work”
The Tesla CEO and leader of the Deficit Optimization and Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative has openly criticized Trump’s proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill” as a sweeping spending package that jeopardizes the very fiscal progress DOGE was designed to deliver.
“I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it. We’re going to see what happens. It’s got a way to go,” he said.
Elon Musk has taken a public swipe at former U.S. President Donald Trump, marking a striking shift in their previously aligned stances on economic policy and innovation. The Tesla CEO and leader of the Deficit Optimization and Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative has openly criticized Trump’s proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill” as a sweeping spending package that jeopardizes the very fiscal progress DOGE was designed to deliver.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, which increases the budget deficit—not decrease it—and undermines the work that our DOGE team is doing,” Musk said in a pointed statement. He added, “A bill can be big, or it can be beautiful. But I don’t think it can be both.”
Trump’s proposal, which includes extending his hallmark 2017 tax cuts, is estimated to balloon the primary deficit by $2.8 trillion over the next decade, per a recent University of Pennsylvania analysis. This directly contradicts Trump's long-standing promise to rein in federal spending.
The clash is significant not only because Trump had personally tapped Musk to lead DOGE, a team credited with identifying over $175 billion in government savings, but also because it signals a potential rift in conservative economic circles over how to balance tax relief with fiscal responsibility.
Critics have frequently targeted DOGE for its lack of transparency and narrowly defined mandate and Musk’s distancing from the bill may be a pre-emptive move to shield the initiative from the political fallout. Musk’s criticism also comes at a delicate time for him personally as Tesla’s April sales hit a three-year low.
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