Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk announced his resignation from the Trump administration after serving as a Special Government Employee who worked to cut federal government spending. Musk stepped down the day after he openly criticized President Donald Trump’s signature legislation, the “American Health Care Act.”
“With my Special Government Employee time expiring, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for allowing me to cut back on wasteful spending,” Musk wrote on X, the company he owns.
The tech mogul had been at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, an agency formed to reduce the federal government workforce and eliminate unnecessary expenses. In his tweet, Musk reaffirmed his endorsement of the DOGE mission. “The @DOGE mission will only get stronger over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” he posted.
Musk Calls Bill a “Massive Spending Bill”
Musk’s exit followed a CBS interview aired Tuesday night, where he sharply criticized Trump’s legislation. “It’s a massive spending bill,” Musk said. “It undermines the work we’ve done at DOGE to reduce the size of government and control unnecessary costs.”
He also challenged the bill’s branding logic: “I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful,” Musk said. “But I don’t know if it could be both.”
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is more than 1,000 pages in length and seeks to overhaul a number of areas of federal expenditures. Trump and his administration have praised the bill, but fiscal conservatives and moderate Republicans remain divided. Some describe the bill as not reducing costs sufficiently, while others claim it would hurt poor Americans by curtailing access to necessities such as food and health care.
Musk Says Bureaucratic Resistance Was Worse Than Expected
In an interview with The Washington Post, Elon Musk conceded that his reform attempts were met with strong resistance. “The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realised,” he claimed. “It sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in DC, to say the least.”
Musk also hinted at stepping away from politics altogether. “I think I’ve done enough,” he said, suggesting he would now refocus on his private ventures, such as Tesla and SpaceX.
Musk’s tone shift represents a sharp contrast to his previous enthusiasm for governmental service. Last February, he had warmly praised Trump: “The more I’ve gotten to know President Trump, the more I like the guy. Frankly, I love him.”
Trump Defends Legislation Despite Criticism
President Trump addressed Musk’s remarks from the Oval Office, defending the bill but acknowledging its flaws. “I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” he said. “We’re going to see what happens. It’s got a way to go.”
Even with Musk’s resignation and continued internal conflicts, the bill is still moving forward in the House. Republican legislators are hoping to pass it by Memorial Day, which will put them on a collision course with Democrats over the direction of federal expenditures.
