Elon Musk didn’t shy away from expressing his disappointment in President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that passed out of the GOP-led House last week.
Musk expressed concerns about the bill inflating the federal deficit that has blown past $1 trillion in recent years during an interview for “CBS Sunday Morning” set to air in full over the weekend as the Republican-controlled Senate considers the legislation.
“I was like — disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it. And it undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said. “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.”
At the start of his second term, Trump tasked Musk with overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, focused on removing waste, fraud, and abuse from the federal government.
While Musk announced last month that he was “significantly” reducing the time he spends on DOGE to refocus on his companies, the initiative’s website says “estimated savings” have reached $175 billion.
“The large slug of work necessary to get the DOGE team in place and working in the government to get the financial house in order is mostly done,” Musk said during a Tesla earnings call in April.
“And I think starting probably in the next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly,” Musk continued, adding later, “I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla…”
However, Musk’s involvement with DOGE has sparked controversy, including protests at Tesla locations across the United States and abroad, as well as incidents that the FBI says have involved vandalism, arson, and gunfire.
After the House passed the bill with a close 215-214 vote, Trump called it “arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country!” He then gave his blessing to GOP senators, some of whom have also raised objections to the bill in its current form, to “make the changes they want.” (RELATED: House Passes Trump’s Sweeping ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ In Razor-Thin Vote)
The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” aims to advance Trump’s priorities on border security, energy, and national defense. It also seeks to retain tax cuts from 2017 that are set to expire at the end of this year, raise the debt limit by trillions of dollars, and much more.
Musk and Trump have been close allies since the 2024 general election cycle with the Tesla CEO frequently attending White House Cabinet meetings.
READ NEXT: Report: Netanyahu Confirms Israel Has Killed Hamas Leader
Dangerously Naive Trump backstabbed DOGE.