If you’ve been following Elon Musk’s sometimes controversial, always headline-making journey through both the private and public sectors, you’ll know he’s not one to hold back. In an exclusive interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Musk didn’t mince words about a new GOP-backed bill heavily supported by former President Trump. The bill, officially titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” left Musk unimpressed.
I was let down by the huge spending bill, plain and simple,” he said. “It increases the budget deficit, not decreases it—and that undermines the efforts the DOGE team is making.”
DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency, was Musk’s brainchild when he was in public service. He’s since stepped back from the daily grind but obviously still feels deeply about the cause. His ire is personal.
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Musk vs. Trump?
Musk’s disappointment represents an unusual divergence from the previous president, with whom he’s worked before. Trump has been lauding the bill as a pillar of his domestic policy platform, calling it “big and beautiful” at numerous rallies and media appearances.
The bill demands a range of sweeping changes: expanding Trump tax cuts, increasing spending on border security, implementing Medicaid work requirements, and reversing clean energy tax credits—all opposing Musk’s agenda.
The Congressional Budget Office puts the bill’s impact at increasing the deficit by $3.8 trillion over ten years. For someone who previously headed a government cost-cutting department, as Musk did, that figure isn’t just large—it’s cause for concern.
“A Bill Can Be Big or Beautiful—Not Both”
In the interview’s most searing exchange, Musk criticized the nickname for the bill. “I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful,” he answered. “I don’t know that it can be both. My personal opinion.”
That kind of acerbic humor is now a Musk trademark. But underlying the one-liner is genuine concern about the future of government reform efforts, specifically the efforts of DOGE.
Under Musk’s leadership, the DOGE staff aggressively pushed for consolidating federal agencies and measures that were welcomed by conservatives but also created a legal backlash and Democratic as well as moderate Republican criticisms. The team set out to come out of inefficiency and restrict bureaucracy. The new bill, Musk insists, sends a different message.
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Looking ahead
Though Musk is stepping back from his official role, he has not ruled out any further entanglements in public policy. He is still CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), and his influence across tech and government circles remains considerable.
And then there’s DOGE? “The team is still doing great work,” Musk said. “But this bill makes it harder.”
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