- Elon Musk criticized Trump’s megabill for increasing the national debt and undermining his cost-cutting work with DOGE.
- Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has saved $175 billion so far, far below its original $2 trillion goal.
- With his 130-day term ending soon, Musk plans to shift focus back to Tesla while DOGE continues trimming government waste.
Elon Musk didn’t hold back in a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning, voicing his frustration over President Donald Trump’s new megabill. The legislation—passed by a razor-thin 215-214 vote in the House—aims to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, boost military and border security spending, and change food assistance rules. But there’s a catch: it’s projected to balloon the national debt by trillions, something Musk says flies in the face of what he’s trying to fix.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill,” Musk told CBS. “It increases the deficit, not reduces it… undermining the work our DOGE team is trying to do.” The Congressional Budget Office estimates this bill could add about $3.8 trillion to the debt over the next decade. Musk, never one to miss a punchline, quipped, “A bill can be big, or it can be beautiful… I don’t know if it can be both.”
Musk’s Role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
Appointed by Trump himself, Musk has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency—or DOGE—a team tasked with trimming federal fat and slashing unnecessary spending. As a special government employee, Musk had up to 130 days to work his magic. His run started Jan. 21, 2025, meaning his deadline is right around May 31.
In a Tesla earnings call last month, Musk said he’d start scaling back his DOGE hours in May to focus more on Tesla duties. This came just after the White House denied he was leaving the post altogether. Despite cutting back, his mission remains: cut waste and make government leaner.
Progress and Pitfalls: Has DOGE Delivered?
When Musk kicked off the DOGE project, his goal was monumental—shave $2 trillion off federal spending. But that number has since come down quite a bit. In April, projections dropped to $150 billion for fiscal year 2026. By May 26, the team had logged $175 billion in total savings, up from $170 billion just two weeks earlier. According to DOGE’s math, that amounts to about $1,087 saved per taxpayer.
DOGE has been slashing grants, leases, and contracts across 176 government agencies. So far, they’ve altered more than 10,000 contracts, 15,000 grants, and nearly 500 leases. But the specifics? Not exactly front and center—no public breakdowns per contract have been provided.
Final Thoughts
For all the flash around Trump’s megabill, Musk sees it as a step in the wrong direction—more debt, more waste, and more headaches for the DOGE mission. While his federal stint is wrapping up, Musk’s impact is already measurable, though far from his trillion-dollar vision. Whether his legacy will be marked by reform or dashed expectations depends largely on whether Washington listens—or keeps spending like there’s no tomorrow.
