Elon Musk has publicly and harshly criticized former President Donald Trump’s flagship tax and spending bill, calling it a “disgusting mess” and warning that it will dramatically increase the US budget deficit and impose an unsustainable debt burden on Americans.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Musk claimed the bill would raise the US budget deficit to $2.5 trillion and accused lawmakers of approving wasteful, “greasy” spending.
Musk said Americans should remove politicians who supported this law in next year’s elections.“Shame on those who voted for this law,” Musk wrote, “Next November, we are firing all the politicians who betrayed the American people.”
The Bill is Central to Trump’s Second Term Plan
The bill, which includes massive tax cuts, increased defense spending, and raising the debt ceiling to $4 trillion, passed the House of Representatives and is currently being debated in the Senate. This bill is central to Trump’s proposed second-term agenda.Musk-Trump Split
This was Musk’s first major public split with Trump. Musk abruptly left the administration on May 31 after working with his cost-cutting team, “Doge,” for 129 days. Before that, Musk had only described the bill as a “disappointment.”
Despite the split, Trump responded by saying, “Musk will always be with us, helping every step of the way.” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt defended the bill, calling it “one big, good law.” Reactions and Reflections Republican leaders are determined to push the bill forward. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said his party would “go full speed ahead,” while House Speaker Mike Johnson said Musk was “terribly wrong” and “didn’t understand the issue.” Johnson also noted that the bill gradually removes tax incentives for electric vehicles, which could affect Musk’s company, Tesla.
Musk also requested that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) use his Starlink satellite system for air traffic control, but the request was denied on grounds of conflict of interest, according to Axios.
The bill also caused division within the Republican Party. Senator Rand Paul announced he would oppose the bill due to its impact on debt; Trump described Paul’s ideas as “crazy.”
Interestingly, some Democrats welcomed Musk’s criticism.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Even Elon Musk, who was part of this process and supported Trump, is saying the bill is bad, that says something.”What’s in the Bill?
The proposed legislation includes the following provisions:
- Extension of the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts
- Defense and extraterritorial spending increase
- Raising the debt ceiling to $4 trillion
- Cutting funding for foreign aid, USAID, NPR, and PBS
- Cutting current spending by $9.4 billion according to the Doge team’s recommendations
Despite the tension, Trump and Republican leaders aim to pass the bill by July 4. Musk, who donated more than $250 million to Trump’s campaign last year, is now signaling that he may turn against Republicans who support this law.
