Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has unleashed yet another assault on US President Donald Trump’s flagship spending legislation, urging Americans to lobby Congress to “KILL the BILL” – mere days after departing his position within the Trump administration. The Tesla and SpaceX founder served 130 days as a “special government employee” at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with a mandate to eliminate what he characterised as bloated government programmes.
However, his exit last week has triggered an avalanche of condemnation directed at the very administration he previously championed.
Musk intensified his offensive earlier today, cautioning that “America is in the fast lane to debt slavery” while insisting on a comprehensive overhaul of the legislation. “A new spending bill should be drafted that doesn’t massively grow the deficit and increase the debt ceiling by 5 TRILLION DOLLARS,” he demanded.
He even urged people to call their senators, Congressmen regarding the bill. In a post on X, Musk stated, “Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.”
In another post shared on X, Musk stated, “This spending bill contains the largest increase in the debt ceiling in US history! It is the Debt Slavery Bill.”
Musk’s dramatic intervention arrives at a pivotal moment for Trump’s self-described “big, beautiful bill”, which encompasses sweeping tax reductions and expanded military expenditure. The House of Representatives approved the measure by the narrowest of margins last month, with only three Republican members dissenting against solid Democratic resistance.
The tech entrepreneur’s vow to “fire all the politicians who betrayed the American people” in upcoming midterm contests has reverberated throughout Republican circles. Given his investment of hundreds of millions in their electoral campaigns, Musk’s hostility could spell disaster for sitting members confronting primary battles and imperil Republican aspirations to maintain Congressional dominance.
The White House has responded to Musk’s insurrection with marked restraint. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated that Trump is “already aware” of Musk’s stance, declaring: “This is one big, beautiful bill, and he’s sticking to it.”
Trump has established a Fourth of July target for the legislation’s completion, which incorporates a USD 4 trillion expansion of US borrowing capacity. US Treasury Department advisors caution that failure to implement this increase by August could precipitate America’s first-ever sovereign debt default.
