Billionaire Elon Musk has announced his departure from his role in the U.S. government on Wednesday, citing disagreements with President Donald Trump’s signature spending bill.
Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), expressed his concerns about the bill, known as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” in an interview with CBS News.
“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.
The bill, which passed the U.S. House and is now moving to the Senate, offers tax relief and spending cuts but critics warn it could decimate healthcare and balloon the national deficit by $4 trillion over a decade.
Musk’s criticism of the bill marks a rare split with the Republican president, whom he helped propel back to power as the largest donor to his 2024 election campaign.
Musk had previously stepped back from his role in DOGE to focus on his companies, including Space X and Tesla.
“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realised,” Musk said in a separate interview with the Washington Post.
“I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in DC, to say the least, ” added.
He also complained that DOGE had become a “whipping boy” for dissatisfaction with the administration.
In response to Musk’s comments, the White House downplayed any differences over U.S. government spending.
Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said, “The Big Beautiful Bill is NOT an annual budget bill,” adding that any cuts to DOGE would require a separate legislative process. ”
Musk’s departure comes after a 130-day term as a special government employee, during which he aimed to cut $1 trillion in government spending but fell short of his goal.
Despite his exit, the White House confirmed plans to continue DOGE-inspired spending cuts.
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending
”The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government, ”Musk wrote on his social media platform X.
