Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent political donors, launched a blistering attack on the president’s recently passed tax-and-spending legislation, branding it a “disgusting abomination” in a series of posts on Twitter on Tuesday (June 3). The outspoken billionaire, who recently stepped down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Trump administration, expressed outrage over the bill’s potential to balloon the national deficit, accusing Congress of “making America bankrupt.”
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The legislation, dubbed the 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill' by Trump, was narrowly passed by the House last month and includes extensions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, alongside new spending allocations for border security and the military. However, the bill has drawn sharp criticism for its projected impact on the federal deficit, with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and independent analysts estimating it could add between $2.3 trillion and $5 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. To offset some of the costs, Republicans have proposed cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and green-energy tax credits.
Elon Musk warns America will go bankrupt
Elon Musk, who has long warned of the national debt as an “existential threat,” had previously offered only mild critiques of the bill despite his role as an informal adviser to Trump. However, his latest comments mark a dramatic escalation in tone. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk wrote on X. “It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America[n] citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.”
He went on to criticize lawmakers who supported the bill, stating, “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” Musk’s comments come just days after his departure from the Trump administration, though he has vowed to continue advising the president informally.
White House says Bill will stimulate US economy
The White House has pushed back against the deficit projections, with officials arguing that the CBO estimates fail to account for the potential economic growth spurred by the tax cuts. They claim the bill’s provisions will stimulate the economy enough to offset the increased spending. However, Musk’s public rebuke highlights growing tensions within Trump’s Republican Party over the legislation, which faced a rocky passage through the House due to opposition from both fiscal conservatives and moderates.
The bill’s passage has also drawn scrutiny from independent fiscal watchdogs. A recent CBO report warned that the tax provisions alone could increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over the next decade, while proposed cuts to social programs like Medicaid and food stamps would only reduce spending by $1 trillion. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan group, estimated the bill could add roughly $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the same period.
Musk’s outspoken criticism adds a new layer of complexity to the debate as the bill awaits consideration in the Senate, where its fate remains uncertain amid ongoing partisan divides.