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The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Evening Report newsletter Subscribe Plus: Gay rights activist's name ordered removed from Navy ship{beacon}ELON MUSK UNLOADED on President Trump’s agenda bill Tuesday, with fiscal hawks in the Senate digging in and promising to sink the legislation.
Musk, whose time as a special government employee came to an end last week, received a stylish Oval Office send-off from Trump for his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash spending.
The tech titan bit his tongue during the presidential salute last week when the issue of spending in the GOP's agenda bill came up.
But he cut loose on Tuesday, and at a critical time for Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which faces a tricky path through the Senate amid mounting concerns about spending and the deficit.
“I’m sorry but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk posted on his social media platform X. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
Musk later threatened to oust lawmakers who fail to codify cuts made by DOGE, among other issues.
"In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people," he posted.
Musk's remarks came as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was in the middle of a press briefing.
"The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,” Leavitt said. “It doesn't change the president's opinion.”
Musk had previously expressed frustration with House Republicans for the trillions in debt the bill is forecast to create.
Those concerns are shared by several Republicans in the Senate, led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who says he will not vote for the bill because it raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-Ky.) can only afford to lose three Republicans for the bill to pass, and Paul says there are at least four on his side.
"I want to see the tax cuts made permanent, but I also want to see the $5 trillion in new debt removed from the bill,” Paul posted this morning, one of several social media posts and media appearances he made to blast the bill.
Paul and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) appeared energized by Musk speaking out, reposting his comments with their own words of opposition.
“These numbers are nothing short of stunning,” Lee said. “Congress has hollowed out America’s middle class through reckless deficit spending and the inflation it causes.”
The fiscal hawks have pointed to wobbles in the bond market, where yields are on the rise amid concerns about U.S. debt and Trump’s trade war.
“It’s a big deal. It is a real problem,” JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said on “Mornings with Maria” on Fox Business Network. “The bond markets are going to have a tough time.”
Trump fired back at Paul in a post on Truth Social.
“Rand Paul has very little understanding of the BBB, especially the tremendous growth that is coming,” Trump said, referring to his agenda bill. “He loves voting ‘no’ on everything, he thinks it’s good politics, but it’s not. The BBB is a big winner!!!”
For his part, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Musk is “terribly wrong,” adding he spoke to the billionaire about it for 20 minutes on Monday.
“For him to come out and pan the whole bill is to me just very disappointing, very surprising in light of the conversation I had with him yesterday,” Johnson said.
The White House sent its recissions package to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. It seeks to claw back just under $10 billion, much of it from funding for NPR, PBS and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Trump has been actively involved in discussions with GOP senators, already holding talks with Thune and Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) this week.
Hawley says Trump told him there would be no “Medicaid benefit cuts,” as the Trump administration makes the case that cuts to the program will only affect those in the country illegally or people who are capable of working but choose not to.
CRITICAL WEEK AHEAD
It’s a big week for Senate Republicans, who have a self-imposed deadline of July 4 to pass Trump's agenda bill.
Thune said he won’t overrule the Senate parliamentarian, who will decide soon whether the bill adheres to rules that would allow Republicans to bypass a Democratic filibuster.
Some Senate Republicans argue that decision should be up to Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
And the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will release its growth projections under the bill, which is expected to add $2.3 trillion to the debt over the next decade.
The White House has taken to blasting the CBO, which it says has repeatedly been wrong with its forecasts. Leavitt on Tuesday said the nonpartisan CBO is run by Democrats, citing past campaign donations.
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