Elon Musk has intensified his criticism of President Trump’s sweeping spending package, arguing the legislation undermines his own work cutting government waste through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
During an interview that CBS Sunday Morning previewed Musk expressed his disappointment with what he termed as a “massive spending bill” that expands the federal deficit. “It increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” he said.
The bill—nicknamed the “big, beautiful bill” by Trump—recently cleared the House and includes extended tax cuts, expanded immigration enforcement, and a $4 trillion hike to the debt ceiling. It has drawn criticism for inflating the federal deficit by an estimated $600 billion.
Musk, who has led DOGE since its inception in early 2024, previously pledged to help eliminate $1 trillion in government waste. The group claims to have saved $170 billion so far by slashing contracts and federal workforce headcount. However, outside experts have questioned the validity of those savings.
According to data from consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, DOGE-driven cuts have led to over 275,000 government job losses. Musk defended those reductions as necessary, though critics argue the cuts were indiscriminate and sometimes ineffective.
Recent reports from AP and the New York Times found that many of the canceled contracts weren’t expected to produce savings, and that DOGE removed several savings claims from its website under scrutiny.
Still, Musk remains committed to fiscal reform, even as he distances himself from further political funding. After contributing over $250 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign, he now says he plans to dramatically reduce his political donations going forward.
Musk also reaffirmed his leadership role at Tesla, saying he will focus on the automaker full-time for the next five years after a stretch marked by controversy and sales volatility linked to his political activity.
