Musk blasts Trump mega-bill days after farewell

New Straits Times

2 days ago

WASHINGTON: Tensions between Elon Musk and Donald Trump erupted Tuesday as the world's richest man derided the president's key piece of economic legislation in a startling rupture just days after exiting a controversial job in the White House.
Musk was lauded by the Republican leader as he left his advisory role atop Trump's "Department of Government Efficiency" last week, despite criticism over his failure to deliver on promises of radical spending cuts.
"This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," Musk posted on X as he followed its progress from the sidelines, in by far his most caustic remarks on Trump's agenda.
"Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong."
It was not Musk's first comments on Trump's so-called "big, beautiful bill", which is set to add US$3 trillion to US deficits over a 10-year horizon, despite deep cuts to health and food aid programmes.
But Musk's previous criticism was more restrained, with the Tesla and SpaceX magnate offering only that it undermined his cost-cutting efforts.
On Tuesday he said the bill – being considered by Congress – would burden "citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt."
His post laid bare an increasingly tense relationship between the White House and Musk, who donated almost US$300 million to Trump's 2024 election campaign.
Musk has become disillusioned, US media reported, as his goals for White House action that would benefit him personally have gone unrealised.
The bill he was criticising cuts the electric vehicle tax credit – bad news for Tesla – while Axios reported that Musk was rebuffed in his efforts to extend his role beyond the statutory 130-day limit.
He also failed to have his Starlink satellite system used for air traffic control, according to Axios, and was angered by Trump withdrawing the nomination of Musk ally Jared Isaacman to be Nasa chief.
The normally pugilistic Trump has pulled his punches, aware of his biggest backer's enormous influence over young, tech-savvy and historically apathetic voters – a key Trump constituency in 2024.
"The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill, it doesn't change his opinion," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in a rapid response to Musk's tweet.
The spat came with House Republicans set to pass legislation sent from the White House to enshrine into law US$9.4 billion of DOGE's cuts, mostly money destined for public broadcasting and foreign aid.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called Musk's comments "disappointing", adding that he had walked the entrepreneur through the bill on Monday, and that he "seemed to understand".
As the world's richest person bowed out of his role as Trump's cost-cutter-in-chief, their relationship appeared on an even keel as the Republican hailed his fellow billionaire's "incredible service".
Trump even insisted that Musk was "really not leaving" after a turbulent four months in which the South African-born tycoon cut tens of thousands of jobs, shuttered whole agencies and slashed foreign aid.
DOGE led an ideologically driven rampage through the federal government, with its young "tech bros" slashing tens of thousands of jobs.
But its achievements fell far short of Musk's original boast that he could save US$2 trillion – more than the government's entire discretionary spending budget for 2024.
The DOGE website claims to have saved taxpayers less than a tenth of that total – just US$180 billion – and fact checkers even see that claim as dubious, given previous inaccuracies in its accounting.
Senate Democrats released a report Tuesday itemising 130 examples of "unethical or potentially corrupt" administration actions they say have helped Musk dodge regulation and add US$100 billion to his wealth.
The report came as senators began what is expected to be a fraught month of negotiations on Trump's mammoth policy package, expected to add between US$2.5 trillion and US$3.1 trillion to deficits over a decade.
Trump said on Monday it was "the single biggest Spending Cut in History," although he added: "The only 'cutting' we will do is for Waste, Fraud, and Abuse."