Elon Musk is causing chaos on Capitol Hill and headaches for top leaders such as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he now calls for Republicans to completely “kill” the GOP reconciliation package.
Musk surprised much of the GOP conference on Tuesday when he called the bill “outrageous” and a “disgusting abomination.” On Wednesday, he took a stronger stance, stating he wants to see a “new spending bill,” citing the amount the legislation is projected to add to the deficit.
“Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL,” Musk, former head of the Department of Government Efficiency, wrote on X.
Many Republicans are likely experiencing deja vu, as Musk jumped into an earlier spending bill fight at the end of December last year. He called on the GOP to “kill the bill,” helping to convince leadership to pull a vote on a stopgap spending bill just days before a government shutdown could begin.
Musk’s revolt, powered by his social media platform X and political operation to fund elections, comes at an inconvenient time for Republicans. The Senate GOP is trying to pass legislation that calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to offset extending President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
It’s unclear whether Musk’s comments will have as much sway as they did during the spending fight last year. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) had brushed off the criticism to reporters on Wednesday prior to Musk’s clear-cut call to axe the legislation.
“Obviously, he has some influence and a big following on social media, but at the end of the day, this is a 51-vote exercise here in the Senate,” Thune said. “The question for our members is gonna be, ‘would you prefer the alternative?’”
House Republican leadership has said they hope the Senate won’t change the legislation too much, but Musk’s calls for severe alterations or a brand new product altogether have bolstered the arguments of Johnson’s right flank — some of whom voted for the bill but now argue it doesn’t go far enough regarding spending cuts.
The House Freedom Caucus has already amplified Musk’s comments, with several members accusing Congress of being afraid to make significant changes to government spending.
“[Musk] gift-wrapped Congress a golden opportunity to do what the American people actually want: shrink government, slash waste, and abolish bloated, redundant agencies,” Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) said. “But instead of seizing the moment, too many in Congress keep protecting the status quo.”
Johnson is pushing back on Musk’s calls for a redo of the legislation, which is supposed to serve as Republicans’ crowning achievement ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, during which the House historically flips to the party opposite the White House.
“We don’t have time for a brand new bill,” Johnson told reporters. “And I want Elon and all my friends to recognize the complexity of what we’ve accomplished here.”
He added that House Republicans worked on the legislation for “almost 14 months” and, though it’s “not perfect by some people’s estimations,” they are proud of the product.
“You can’t go back to the drawing board — and we shouldn’t. We have a great product to deliver here,” the speaker said.
The White House is pushing forward with its support of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, posting on social media that state representatives are endorsing the legislation. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said in a post that the bill “REDUCES deficits” by $1.4 trillion over 10 years, “when you adjust for the CBO’s one big gimmick — not using a realistic current policy baseline.”
This is an argument Republican leadership has also leaned on, despite the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office releasing a report Wednesday that the bill will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit.
“By every honest metric, the [one big, beautiful bill] dramatically improves the fiscal trajectory of the United States and unleashes an era of unprecedented economic growth,” the White House said in a statement shortly after Musk called to nix the bill, adding that it is a “hoax” that the legislation increases spending.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS EYE SEVERAL WAYS TO MAKE DOGE CUTS LAST BEYOND ELON MUSK
Johnson has done his best to minimize Musk’s comments and notes that while he considers the former DOGE head a “friend,” the speaker thinks he is “flat wrong” in his assessment of the legislation.
“You can’t do it all in one bill. … And Elon was encouraged by that conversation,” the speaker said of his phone conversation with Musk on Monday. “Elon and I left on a great note … and then yesterday, 24 hours later, he does a 180 and comes out and opposed the bill, and it surprised me, frankly.”