What did Elon Musk say about Donald Trump’s bill before quitting DOGE?
Elon Musk has announced that he is stepping down from his role as a government adviser to US President Donald Trump, just one day after publicly criticising the president’s key legislative proposal known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”.
Elon Musk slams Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ as ‘massive spending’ plan(Reuters)
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk posted on X, the social media platform he owns.
“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” he wrote.
Elon Musk, a special government employee, had led efforts to trim the federal workforce and reduce government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
A day before leaving the Trump administration, Musk had voiced strong disappointment in the Republican President’s signature legislation, calling it a “massive spending bill.”
Why is Elon Musk not happy?
The Tesla CEO’s comments during a CBS interview aired Tuesday night directly challenged what Trump has proudly called his “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
Musk said the bill would increase the federal deficit and undo DOGE’s work. He called the measure contradictory to the mission he was tasked with.
“It’s a massive spending bill,” Musk said. “It undermines the work we’ve done at DOGE to reduce the size of government and control unnecessary costs.”
“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful,” Musk said. “But I don’t know if it could be both,” he said in a CBS interview.
In a separate comment to The Washington Post, Musk admitted that his hopes for trimming the bureaucracy had run into far greater resistance than expected.
“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realised,” he said. “It sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in DC, to say the least.”
Musk has also suggested that he plans to step back from political donations and focus more on his private companies, such as Tesla and SpaceX. “I think I’ve done enough,” he said.
The DOGE head’s departure marks a shift in tone from the enthusiasm he once expressed about public service. Initially optimistic, he wore campaign hats in the White House and praised Trump frequently.
“The more I’ve gotten to know President Trump, the more I like the guy,” Musk said in February. “Frankly, I love him.”
Trump’s bill advances amid Republican divisions
Despite Musk’s objections, the bill is moving forward in the House, where Republicans are pushing to pass it by Memorial Day.
The legislation — over 1,000 pages long — has caused division within the Republicans. Fiscal conservatives say it doesn’t do enough to cut costs, while moderates worry it could harm vulnerable Americans by reducing access to food and healthcare.
When asked about Musk’s remarks, Trump defended the bill but admitted it’s not perfect.
“I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “We’re going to see what happens. It’s got a way to go.”
(With agency inputs)
