Trump Defends GOP’s “Big, Beautiful” Spending Bill Amid Musk’s Scathing Rebuke
President Donald Trump and Republican leaders are pushing forward with what the White House has dubbed a “big, beautiful bill,” despite a blistering rebuke from former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk.
Musk, who stepped down from his role at DOGE last week, took to X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday afternoon to intensify his criticism of the reconciliation package, calling it a “disgusting abomination.”
“This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk posted. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
The bill, which cleared the House in late May largely along party lines, aims to consolidate mandatory spending streams and reform entitlement programs. Despite broad GOP support, two House Republicans opposed the measure, citing insufficient fiscal restraint. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has similarly voiced concerns, specifically objecting to the bill’s associated debt ceiling increase.
President Trump, while previously clashing with Paul over budget votes, has adopted a more tempered response to Musk’s opposition.
“Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at Tuesday’s press briefing. “It doesn’t change the president’s opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill and he’s sticking to it.”
During his tenure at DOGE, Musk led high-profile cost-cutting initiatives aimed at eliminating inefficiencies across federal departments. In a recent CBS interview, he said the bill “undermines all the work” his team accomplished.
“It’s incredibly disappointing. This bill sends the wrong message,” Musk said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) downplayed Musk’s criticism, suggesting it stems from a misunderstanding of the bill’s scope.
“A lot of what Elon was working on was on the discretionary side of the budget, which this doesn’t touch,” Thune told reporters. “The reconciliation bill just deals with mandatory spending.”
Thune said the administration is planning to introduce a separate “rescissions bill” to address waste identified by Musk and DOGE staff.
“We want to incorporate a lot of the savings that he found,” he added.
Trump and Musk are scheduled to appear together at a press conference later this week, their first joint appearance since Musk’s departure from government.
With input from Fox News.
