US President Donald Trump suggested that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should take a look at the subsidies that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s companies have received in order to save the federal government money on Tuesday.
Following the end of his feud with Trump weeks before, Musk renewed his criticism of the president’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill on Monday, promising to unseat lawmakers who backed it after campaigning on limiting government spending, reports agencies.
“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump writes on Truth Social. “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!,” he added.
Responding to Trump on his own social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Musk posted, “I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now.”
After his falling out with Trump over the legislation, Musk rejoined the debate as the Senate took up the package, calling it “utterly insane and destructive” in a post on Saturday.
Two days later, he ramped up his criticism, announcing lawmakers who had campaigned on cutting spending but backed the bill “should hang their heads in shame!”
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO called again for a new political party “that actually cares about the people,” remarking that the bill’s massive spending indicated “that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!”
Musk’s criticism of the “big, beautiful bill” has caused dramatic shift in his relationship with Trump, especially after the tech billionaire spent nearly $300 million on Trump’s re-election campaign and led the administration’s controversial DOGE, a federal cost-cutting initiative.
Musk, the world’s richest man, has argued that the legislation would greatly increase the national debt and erase the savings he says he has achieved through DOGE.
It is not clear how much sway Musk actually has over Congress or the effect his opinions might have on the bill’s passage. But many Republicans have expressed concern that his on-again, off-again bickering with Trump could hurt their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 midterm congressional elections.
The rift has also led to volatility for Tesla, with shares of the company seeing wild price swings that erased approximately $150 billion of its market value, though it has since recovered.