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Elon Musk says giant tax bill backed by Trump ‘undermines’ his DOGE cuts

Published

2 months ago

May 28, 2025

virginiamercury.com – Jacob Fischler – 2025-05-28 15:21:00

by Jacob Fischler, Virginia Mercury
May 28, 2025

Elon Musk says in an interview excerpt that he was “disappointed” in the U.S. House GOP’s massive legislative package of tax cuts, border funding and more of President Donald Trump’s domestic policy priorities, telling CBS News the bill would undermine the work of his U.S. DOGE Service to cut government spending.

The interview, a portion of which was published Tuesday evening as a preview of this weekend’s edition of “CBS Sunday Morning,” marks the first public rift between Musk, the world’s richest man and a major funder of Trump’s 2024 campaign, and the president who gave him an influential position in his second White House stint.

During the closing days of the presidential campaign, Musk said he could find $2 trillion per year in the federal budget to cut.

The legislation that Trump has promoted as the “big, beautiful bill” works against the goals Musk set as he spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency that sought to slash the size of the federal workforce, Musk said.

“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said. “I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both. My personal opinion.”

GOP bill cuts Medicaid, adds to deficit

The U.S. House narrowly passed the 1,100-page bill last week with all Democrats and two Republicans voting against it. Senate Republicans are planning to use the complex budget reconciliation process to pass the bill without subjecting it to the chamber’s usual 60-vote threshold for legislation.

The measure includes an extension of the 2017 tax cuts, changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that are expected to reduce federal spending on benefits by nearly $1 trillion over a decade, and increased funding for Defense Department and border security initiatives.

The House’s bill would add $2.3 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Musk and Republicans who wish to downsize the federal government have called for taking actions based on DOGE’s recommendations.

Trump ‘not happy about certain aspects’

Asked about Musk’s comments during an Oval Office event Wednesday, Trump praised the work of House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and noted the slim majorities in both chambers.

He also touted the tax cuts included in the bill, but conceded he was “not happy about certain aspects of” the bill — although the administration issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting it and saying Trump would sign it into law.

“But I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” he said. “That’s the way they go. It’s very big. It’s the big, beautiful bill. But the beautiful is because of all of the things we have. The biggest thing being, I would say, the level of tax cutting that we’re going to be doing.”

Johnson, who spent weeks negotiating with disparate factions of his conference to win passage of the measure, attempted to soothe Musk’s concerns in a Wednesday post to X, which Musk owns.

The Louisiana Republican praised Musk’s work while promising spending cuts would come in bills that are outside the budget reconciliation process: annual appropriations bills and a recissions package that takes away unspent money from previous appropriations laws.

“@ElonMusk and the entire @DOGE team have done INCREDIBLE work exposing waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government,” Johnson wrote. “The House is eager and ready to act on DOGE’s findings so we can deliver even more cuts to big government that President Trump wants and the American people demand.”

New plan for billions in cuts said to be on the way

Johnson echoed a post from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who said the rules around budget reconciliation made it difficult to cut significant chunks of discretionary spending, which is separate from the major cuts projected to hit the mandatory Medicaid and SNAP programs.

The administration is planning to send to House Republicans next week a proposal to rescind $9.4 billion in federal spending, according to a Wednesday report in Politico that cited unnamed House Republican and administration sources. The report was published after the Musk comments appeared on CBS News’ website.

On X, Johnson said the annual appropriations bills, which Congress began formal work on this month with department heads appearing at subcommittee hearings, would also provide spending cuts.

Appropriators, though, have cautioned against the aggressive cuts sought by the administration.

Rep. Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that writes the funding bill for environmental programs, told Interior Secretary Doug Burgum the panel would likely fund his department above what the administration request.

Burgum said he would comply with whatever spending amount Congress approves.

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.

The post Elon Musk says giant tax bill backed by Trump ‘undermines’ his DOGE cuts appeared first on virginiamercury.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

This content presents a detailed news report on the criticism from Elon Musk, a Republican-aligned major donor, toward a GOP-led legislative package. The focus is on government spending, budget deficits, and intra-party disagreements, primarily centering around conservative fiscal policy debates. The article covers perspectives from Musk, Republican leaders, and the Trump administration, maintaining an overall neutral tone without strong partisan language, but framing the issue within the context of right-leaning policy priorities such as tax cuts and government downsizing. This aligns the content with a Center-Right viewpoint, reflecting mainstream conservative fiscal concerns and internal GOP dynamics.

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Commanders training camp opens without McLaurin | NBC4 Washington

Published

15 hours ago

July 22, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-07-22 20:11:21

SUMMARY: The Washington Commanders opened training camp without star receiver Terry McLaurin, who did not report due to ongoing contract disputes. McLaurin missed the team’s conditioning test, officially beginning his holdout as negotiations continue. Team insiders express high regard for McLaurin and are working to close the gap between both sides to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, Head Coach Dan Quinn is enthusiastic about camp’s competitive spirit, emphasizing the intense matchups that push players to excel. Despite McLaurin’s absence, Commanders players are eager to build on last season’s success as camp begins with practice scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Star wide receiver Terry McLaurin did not report to Washington Commanders training camp as he negotiates a contract extension. Team Insider JP Finlay reports.
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News from the South - Virginia News Feed

Company seeks to overturn Va. Supreme Court’s rejection of toll increase request

Published

1 day ago

July 22, 2025

Staff Editor

virginiamercury.com – Nathaniel Cline – 2025-07-22 04:25:00

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury
July 22, 2025

Toll Road Investors Partnership II (TRIP II), which operates the private 14-mile Dulles Greenway toll road, is seeking to overturn a Virginia Supreme Court’s decision last week to reject the company’s request to hike the roadway’s toll rate.

This comes after the Virginia Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the unanimous decision by the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to reject the proposal because it did not demonstrate that the proposed rates would be “reasonable to the user in relation to the benefit obtained.”

Atlas Arteria, which owns the roadway, is regulated by the SCC under the Virginia Highway Corporation Act, which allows the company to request a toll increase once per year but doesn’t permit it to negotiate those increases.

On July 11, 2023, TRIP II applied to raise tolls on vehicles, including two-axle vehicles, from $5.80 to $8.10 during peak hours and from $5.25 to $6.40 during off-peak hours, to cover its debt payments and operating expenses. Traveling the toll road cost commuters driving two-axle vehicles $1.75 and $3.50 for all other vehicles when the road opened in 1995.

Court records indicate TRIP II’s debt stood at $1.1 billion as of December 2022.

“TRIP II’s pending federal case, which was stayed in anticipation of the SCV appeal decision, will now proceed,” said Atlas Arteria in a statement. “The federal complaint alleges constitutional violations distinct from those decided by the (Supreme Court) and seeks compensatory, declarative, injunctive, and other relief, unavailable to TRIP II in the SCV appeal.”

The company said TRIP II would continue to engage with the SCC’s working group and plans to file a new proposal to raise toll rates later this year.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a statement on Thursday that the proposal failed to meet the basic legal standards of reasonableness and public benefit and that the high court upheld the commission’s finding that the proposed tolls were unjustified and unreasonably burdensome on the public.

Virginia law mandates that toll increases must be reasonable to drivers in relation to the benefit received.

In October 2023, the Virginia Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Counsel joined the case for TRIP II’s rate increase, along with Loudoun County.

“This is an enormous win for hardworking Virginians who are already stretched thin by rising costs,” Miyares said in a statement on July 17. “No private company has the right to exploit a government franchise to gouge commuters, especially when public alternatives exist. My office stood up to defend Virginia consumers from the largest toll increase in Dulles Greenway history, and today, common sense prevailed.”

Loudoun County leaders also celebrated the court’s decision. The toll road runs between Leesburg and Washington Dulles International Airport, situated in Loudoun County.

County leaders asked to participate in the case because they believe “decades of increased tolls on the Greenway prevent drivers from using it, which results in increased congestion on public roads in the county and forces Loudoun County to expand other roads at public expense.”

In anticipation of the Supreme Court’s decision, TRIP II filed its complaint in February in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District shortly after the SCC’s decision on Sept. 4, 2024. Since the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling, no additional hearings have been scheduled.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

The post Company seeks to overturn Va. Supreme Court’s rejection of toll increase request appeared first on virginiamercury.com

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article presents a largely factual report on the Virginia Supreme Court’s rejection of a private toll road company’s attempt to raise tolls, emphasizing the protection of consumer interests and public benefit. The coverage highlights the Attorney General’s and Loudoun County officials’ criticisms of the toll increase as burdensome to commuters and frames the court decision as a victory for “hardworking Virginians” against corporate overreach. The tone and choice of quotes suggest a slight lean toward consumer protection and government oversight, which aligns with a Center-Left perspective, without strong partisan framing or ideological rhetoric.

News from the South - Virginia News Feed

Tropics Update: Area of interest in the Atlantic: 94-L

Published

2 days ago

July 21, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-07-21 19:31:57

SUMMARY: As of July 21, the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is about one-third complete, with only three named storms so far and overall quiet conditions in both the Atlantic and eastern Pacific basins. A new area of interest, Invest 94L, is located far east in the Atlantic but faces hostile conditions including dry Saharan dust and fast westward movement, limiting its development chances to about 10%. Historically, long gaps without named storms occur, with a notable 61-day lull in 1999. Tropical activity typically increases in August as conditions become more favorable. Tonight’s Hurricane Hub Live highlights ongoing monitoring and preparedness guidance.

13News Now chief meteorologist Tim Pandajis has the latest on the tropics. The National Hurricane Center is tracking an area of low pressure, known as Invest 94L, in the central Atlantic. Showers and thunderstorms have become less organized, and conditions are expected to become less favorable over the next day or so as the system moves west-northwest at 10–15 mph, according to hurricane forecasters.

Overall, things are quiet in the tropics, but we’re approaching a time when storm activity typically ramps up significantly.

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