Just days after vacating his post at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk slammed Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which the technocrat slammed as “a disgusting abomination” in a scathing online tirade that’s shaken Capitol Hill.
Once hailed as President Trump’s unofficial right hand in bureaucratic reform, the Tesla CEO is wasting no time distancing himself from the administration’s newest fiscal Frankenstein, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” that according to the White House is “a bold step toward revitalizing the U.S. economy.”
Passed by a single vote by the House of Representatives on May 22, the controversial bill was pitched as a populist push for working-class Americans. It includes temporary tax breaks through 2028, like the elimination of taxes on tips for service and beauty workers and a pause on overtime tax penalties. The bill also re-allocates billions toward military spending and expanded border security.
The bill is not exactly what Musk would call “efficiency.”
‘Disappointed’
Speaking with CBS Sunday Morning in late May, the SpaceX founder said he was “disappointed to see the massive spending bill” because it increases the budget deficit and undermines DOGE.
“I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both,” Musk said only days before he wrapped up his role in the government, placing him squarely at odds with Trump, who has hailed the sweeping spending package as a major win.
Slashing support
Among the bill’s more divisive elements: the slashing of Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to balance lost tax revenue, cuts to undocumented immigrant healthcare access, and restrictions on gender transition support services. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 8.6 million people could lose healthcare coverage.
“We will take a massive step to balancing our Budget by enacting the largest mandatory Spending Cut, EVER, and Americans will get to keep more of their money with the largest Tax Cut, EVER, and no longer taxing Tips, Overtime, or Social Security for Seniors,” Trump boasted in a Truth Social post, shared on X, on June 2. “It will kick millions of Illegals off Medicaid and make sure SNAP is focused on Americans ONLY!”
