Elon Musk speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Elon Musk, who’s been leading the Republican president’s effort to cut government spending, said the bill increases the deficit and undermines his cost-cutting work at the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told CBS News in an interview set to air Sunday.
The House-passed bill would extend expiring tax cuts Trump enacted during in his first term and increase spending on the military and border enforcement. Some savings would come from proposed changes to Medicaid and the food stamp program.
The Congressional Budget Office said the tax provisions would increase federal deficits by $3.8 trillion over the decade.
The “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” still needs to be passed by the Senate before Trump can sign it into law.
Said Musk, “I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both. My personal opinion.”