Billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s extensive tax and spending bill, labeling it a “disgusting abomination” that he believes will exacerbate the federal deficit. Several fiscally conservative Republicans in the U.S. Senate publicly supported Musk’s views, expressed through social media posts, potentially complicating the bill’s journey through that legislative chamber.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” wrote Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk on his social media platform X. “This massive, outrageous Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.” He further added, “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
Musk’s comments resonated with a key concern among Republican deficit hawks, who have voiced apprehension about the bill’s financial implications. The legislation aims to extend the 2017 tax cuts, a primary legislative achievement of the Trump administration, while simultaneously increasing spending on military and border security initiatives. The House of Representatives narrowly passed the bill by a single vote last month, after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected the measure would add $3.8 trillion to the federal government’s existing $36.2 trillion debt.
The Senate, also under the control of Trump’s Republican party, intends to pass the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” within the next month, though senators are expected to introduce revisions to the House version. Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees tax policy, are scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House on Wednesday afternoon to discuss making the bill’s business-related tax breaks permanent, according to Senator Steve Daines, a committee member. Analysts have cautioned that such a move would substantially increase the measure’s overall cost.
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed his disagreement with Musk’s assessment regarding the bill’s cost and reaffirmed the goal of passage by July 4. “We have a job to do – the American people elected us to do. We have an agenda that everybody campaigned on, most notably the president of the United States, and we’re going to deliver on that agenda,” the South Dakota lawmaker told reporters. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson also dismissed Musk’s complaints, telling reporters, “my friend Elon is terribly wrong.”
A Test of Influence
Musk’s vocal opposition to a bill that President Trump has strongly urged Republicans to pass presents a significant test of his political influence. This comes just a week after his formal role in the administration as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency concluded. As DOGE chief, he sought to overhaul several federal agencies but ultimately did not achieve the massive savings he had aimed for.
Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, had contributed nearly $300 million to support Trump’s presidential campaign and other Republican candidates in last year’s elections. However, he has indicated a plan to substantially reduce his political spending as he returns his full focus to his role as Tesla TSLA.O CEO. The White House dismissed Tuesday’s attack, just as Trump had previously dismissed Musk’s earlier criticisms of the legislation.
“Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a White House briefing. “It doesn’t change the president’s opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he’s sticking to it.”
Republican Divisions
Senate Republicans were already divided on the bill even before Musk’s public criticisms. Deficit hawks within the party are advocating for deeper spending cuts than the $1.6 trillion over a decade proposed in the House version. Conversely, another coalition of rural-state Republicans is pushing to protect the Medicaid healthcare program, which benefits low-income Americans.
Senator Mike Lee, one of the deficit hawks, urged party members to leverage the Trump bill and future spending measures to reduce the deficit. “We must commit now to doing so, as this is what voters justifiably expect – and indeed deserve – from the GOP Congress,” the Utah Republican posted on X, reposting Musk’s message.
Republicans hold a 53-47 seat majority in the Senate. To ensure the legislation’s passage by the July 4 deadline, they can afford to lose the support of no more than three members, relying on a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. Another hardliner, Senator Ron Johnson, predicted that lawmakers would not be able to meet the deadline and secure an adequate number of cuts.
Lee and Johnson are among at least four Senate hardliners demanding that the bill be modified to restrict the growth of the national debt and deficit. A faction of party lawmakers of similar size is determined to limit spending cuts to safeguard Medicaid beneficiaries and business investments in green energy initiatives.
“I certainly have an interest in making sure people with disabilities are not harmed. But also, there’s the broad issue of how does it affect hospital reimbursements,” Senator Jerry Moran told reporters. “There’s a set of my colleagues who are pushing to do more. And so it turns on how do you get the votes to pass a bill,” the Kansas Republican added.
Other Senate Republicans suggested that lawmakers might need to explore alternative avenues for boosting savings, including the possibility of postponing Trump’s highly touted tax break proposals for tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits to later legislation. “Those are all Democrat priorities. I’m not sure why we shouldn’t be doing that in a potential bipartisan bill to create headspace for this bill,” said Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
