In a “Sunday Morning” CBS interview, Tesla CEO Elon Musk threw cold water on the title of the bill, which is officially called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Musk is pushing back against a key piece of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, sharply criticizing the bill being drafted by congressional Republicans. Trump and congressional Republicans argue that the bill cuts spending in critical areas and will spur enough economic growth to offset the tax breaks. However, it is expected to encounter significant opposition in the Senate.
In a preview clip from an upcoming CBS interview, Musk expressed deep concern about the bill’s impact on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal initiative he leads. Musk said the bill would “undermine” the cost-cutting work his team has been focused on.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill,” Musk said. “It increases the budget deficit rather than reducing it, and it undercuts what the DOGE team has been trying to accomplish. A vote can be big, or it can be beautiful—I’m not sure it can be both.”
The bill, central to Trump’s economic agenda, aims to extend the 2017 tax cuts, eliminate taxes on tips, increase border spending, and introduce work requirements for Medicaid. Despite these provisions, it is projected to add $2.5 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
The Daily Beast reported White House aide Stephen Miller defending the bill, clarifying that DOGE’s savings pertain to discretionary spending, which can’t be altered via reconciliation bills but require separate legislation like appropriations or rescissions bills. He emphasized that the bill introduces landmark reforms in welfare, taxes, energy, and border security, highlighting the tensions between Trump and Musk within the MAGA movement.
Musk’s criticism marks a significant public break with both Trump and congressional Republicans. Though he previously supported Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign, the tech billionaire is now distancing himself from the administration’s fiscal strategy.
As head of DOGE, Musk has spearheaded efforts to rein in federal spending. He initially claimed the initiative could trim $2 trillion from the budget. However, those projections have since been revised down. Last month, Musk reported that DOGE had saved approximately $160 billion and eliminated about 20,000 federal jobs—roughly 1% of the workforce.
Now, with the spending bill advancing through the Senate, Musk appears to be scaling back his political involvement. In an April 30 interview, he acknowledged the DOGE project had fallen short of his expectations, though he emphasized that meaningful progress had still been made.
“I think we’ve been effective—not as effective as I’d like—but we’ve made progress,” Musk said.
Mounting pressure from investors and backlash tied to his political activism have prompted Musk to reconsider his role in Washington. In recent interviews, he reaffirmed his commitment to Tesla and announced plans to significantly reduce his political spending.
“I’m going to do a lot less political spending in the future,” Musk told Bloomberg. “I think I’ve done enough.”
In a separate conversation with CNBC, Musk confirmed that while he would remain involved with DOGE, his presence in Washington would be limited.
“My rough plan is to be there a couple days every few weeks, and to help out where I can,” he said.
During Tesla’s first-quarter earnings call, Elon Musk said his involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would be scaled back significantly this month. However, he still plans to dedicate “a day or two per week” to government work through the end of President Trump’s term. Musk also intends to maintain a small office at the White House.
In an interview with The Washington Post published Tuesday, Musk described the federal bureaucracy as “much worse than I realized,” adding that DOGE had become “the whipping boy for everything.”
Musk’s collaboration with Trump—along with his often provocative political commentary—has sparked backlash, including protests targeting his electric vehicle company, Tesla.
“People were burning Teslas,” Musk told the Post. “Why would you do that? That’s really uncool.”
DOGE says it has saved $170 Billion in taxpayer money since it began in January, targeting areas of government waste and redundancy in sometimes-controversial ways.
For instance, it has gutted the U.S. Agency for International Development and reduced staff elsewhere. DOGE-related moves have been responsible for some 275,000 government layoffs, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a consultancy firm.
DOGE’s saving claims have been speculated by many. The Associated Press previously found 40% of government contracts cut by DOGE weren’t expected to save the government any money. In February, the New York Times reported, DOGE removed five of its biggest listed savings from its website.
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