You may have seen that Elon Musk has criticised a bill brought forward by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Musk called Trump’s bill a “disgusting abomination”.
It comes days after Musk finished up at the White House as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Here’s the latest.
Musk's role
First, let’s look at what Musk’s role actually was.
Musk was appointed as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a government agency established when Trump was sworn in as President earlier this year.
His initial aim was to “reduce wasteful spending“ by the government by $US1 trillion ($AU1.54 trillion).
Last week, Musk said DOGE had found $US150 billion ($AU232 billion) in savings for the next financial year.
Musk departs
Musk’s last day in this role was last week.
He was serving as a “special government employee”, a specific category of temporary contractor who can only work for the federal government for 130 days each year.
On his final day last Friday, Trump and Musk held a joint press conference.
Musk said he looks forward to “continuing to be a friend and adviser to the President”.
In the day's after
In the days since he left the White House, Musk has criticised one of Trump’s proposed laws, called the “Big Beautiful Bill”.
In a post to X today, Musk said: “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
It’s not the first time Musk has criticised this bill (he also did so last week), but it’s his strongest criticism of a piece of Trump legislation yet.
The bill
The bill that Musk has criticised sets out key parts of Trump’s domestic policy agenda.
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Some of it cuts spending, while some of it increases it. Here’s some of what it includes:
- Extending tax cuts introduced during Trump’s first term, which were due to expire this year.
- Adding extra tax cuts, with the biggest cuts reserved for the wealthiest Americans. This means the Government will be earning less in revenue from income tax.
- Increasing funding at the U.S.-Mexico border to control illegal immigration.
- Significantly limiting who is eligible for Medicaid, a program which helps cover medical expenses for those on lower incomes.
- Bringing forward the expiry date of some renewable energy initiatives.
- Increasing the national debt limit by $4 trillion. That’s the legal limit on government borrowing.
Musk's criticism
Musk’s main concern is that this bill will add to the country’s deficit, which he was seeking to reduce through DOGE.
In another post today, he said: “Mammoth spending bills are bankrupting America”.
The White House has disputed this claim. In May, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the bill “does not add to the deficit” and claimed it actually will save $1.6 trillion.
Trump's response
Trump has not personally responded to Musk’s most recent comments.
However, Leavitt said in a press briefing today: “The President already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn’t change the President’s opinion.”
What now?
The bill has already passed the House of Representatives, but still needs to pass the Senate.
The Senate is narrowly controlled by Republicans, Trump’s party.
However, some Republicans have expressed concern about the bill, which could delay its passage.
If it passes the Senate, Trump will sign it into law.
