Elon Musk Takes A Swipe at Trump’s Spending Plan: ‘A Bill Can Be Big Or Beautiful … Don’t Know If It Can Be Both’

Elon Musk voiced disappointment Tuesday over President Donald Trump’s newly passed tax bill, saying the legislation undercuts efforts to reduce federal spending. 

The billionaire entrepreneur told CBS News the bill increases the budget deficit and “undermines the work the DOGE team is doing.”

“I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both,” Musk said in an excerpt released ahead of a full CBS Sunday Morning interview airing this weekend. 

The House narrowly passed the bill last week despite internal GOP divisions. 

It now moves to the Senate, where some Republicans like Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has expressed concern over its cost and called for further spending cuts. 

Others oppose provisions such as cuts to Medicaid and the rollback of clean-energy incentives.

Musk’s criticism comes after a federal judge allowed a lawsuit to proceed against DOGE and Musk, rejecting the Department of Justice’s bid to dismiss claims that Musk overstepped his authority. 

In a sharply worded opinion, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan warned the administration’s structure for DOGE posed constitutional risks by concentrating unchecked executive power in one individual. 

The judge dismissed Trump as a defendant, citing the separation of powers.

Musk, who previously claimed DOGE could help save $175 billion in government waste, has recently scaled back involvement with the agency as legal and operational challenges mount.

The stock has declined 4.3% in 2025, underperforming the S&P 500’s 0.9% gain.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.