Elon Musk is breaking ranks with President Donald Trump over a massive tax-and-spending bill, saying the legislation threatens to derail the mission of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — a project Musk has long supported.
In an interview aired on CBS Sunday Morning, the tech mogul and SpaceX founder expressed concern that Trump’s fiscal agenda would worsen the national deficit and undermine DOGE’s goals.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit — not just decreases it — and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said. “I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both.”
Trump’s proposed bill, which narrowly passed the House last week, includes sweeping tax cuts and a dramatic increase in military and national security spending. To offset those costs, it calls for deep cuts to federal energy programs and overhauls to health and nutrition services. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the plan could add $3.8 trillion to the deficit.
Musk’s comments came as he kicked off a media tour ahead of Tuesday evening’s planned Starship test flight. He acknowledged stepping back from government-focused work to reallocate more time to his companies — SpaceX and Tesla — which have faced operational challenges partly due to his political involvement.
“I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics,” Musk told Ars Technica earlier Tuesday. “The media overrepresents political stuff because it drives engagement. I never left my companies — just allocated too much time on the government side. I’ve reduced that significantly in recent weeks.”
Though Musk has hinted at dialing back political spending, it’s unclear whether he will follow through on a previously pledged $100 million investment in pro-Trump political groups. So far, Musk and affiliated organizations have poured over $290 million into GOP campaigns, including more than $20 million on a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court race that ended in defeat for his preferred candidate.
Musk also defended DOGE in a separate interview with The Washington Post, calling it unfairly targeted.
“DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything,” he said. “Something bad happens anywhere in government, and we get blamed even if we had nothing to do with it.”
Despite Musk’s retreat from day-to-day involvement, sources say DOGE staff will remain embedded in federal agencies and continue their work — even as the political environment grows more turbulent.