Elon Says He Was ‘Disappointed’ By ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’

Elon Musk says he was “disappointed” by the version of President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that passed out of the GOP-led House last week.

The critique, in which Musk expressed concerns about the bill inflating the federal deficit that has blown past $1 trillion in recent years, was made during an interview for “CBS Sunday Morning” set to air in full over the weekend as the Republican-controlled Senate considers the legislation.

“I was like — disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it. And it undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said.

At the start of his second term, Trump tasked Musk with overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, focused on removing waste, fraud, and abuse from the federal government.

While Musk announced last month that he was “significantly” reducing the time he spends on DOGE to refocus on his companies, the initiative’s website says “estimated savings” have reached $175 billion. Some Republican lawmakers have called on Congress to codify the “DOGE cuts.”

“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful. But I don’t know if it could be both.”

Tech billionaire Elon Musk tells CBS Sunday Morning’s @Pogue he was “disappointed” to see the Trump-backed “big beautiful” spending bill, which passed in the House last week.

Musk said… pic.twitter.com/LUcuTaNYrs

— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) May 28, 2025

Also shown in the CBS clip was “Sunday Morning” correspondent David Pogue telling Musk that when the bill came along, he thought “everything” accomplished by DOGE would get “wiped out” in the first year. It then cut to Musk, who said, “I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both. My personal opinion.”

The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” aims to advance Trump’s priorities on border security, energy, and national defense. It also seeks to retain tax cuts from 2017 that are set to expire at the end of this year, raise the debt limit by trillions of dollars, and much more.

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After the House passed the bill with a close 215-214 vote, Trump called it “arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country!” He then gave his blessing to GOP senators, some of whom have also raised objections to the bill in its current form, to “make the changes they want.”

Trump’s budget chief, Russell Vought, told Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro the legislation offers the “most historic level of mandatory savings that we’ve had, ever — $1.6 trillion” by reining in spending programs while fostering economic growth.

Musk and Trump have been close allies since the 2024 general election cycle. While they have generally been very complementary of each other, Musk did take an apparent stance against Trump’s strategy with tariffs. However, that did not create a visible rift.

In a cabinet meeting late last month, Musk declared that a “tremendous amount” had been accomplished during Trump’s first 100 days back in office. Trump told Musk, “You’re invited to stay as long as you want.” And, in fact, Musk has been seen back in the White House since rededicating himself to Tesla and his other companies.