Tesla CEO and former White House special government employee Elon Musk again criticized the Republican Party and the President Donald Trump-backed spending package that’s currently being considered in the Senate, weeks after he engaged in a public war of words with the president.
Describing the bill as “utterly insane and destructive,” Musk argued that it would give “handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future” in a post published hours before the Senate held a key vote that advanced the package.
He was responding to a draft of the Senate bill that raises taxes on solar and wind projects that haven’t recently started construction, while also requiring them not use any Chinese-made materials. It also adds a tax on wind and solar projects.
The president also noted that he doesn’t believe that every consumer wants to purchase an electric car, which Tesla manufactures, and doesn’t believe there should be mandates around such products.
Tesla is the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, and Musk has long been a proponent of alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind.
Previously, Trump has suggested that Musk was upset with him because of the government’s decision to end subsidies for his companies and for not choosing Jared Isaacman to head NASA.
Weeks ago, Musk had described the bill as a “disgusting abomination” and called on lawmakers to “KILL the BILL,” leading to a public spat with Trump.
“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,” he wrote at the time.
Since then, Musk has mostly refrained from speaking about the bill or Trump on X until this weekend, instead focusing mostly on comment about his companies Tesla, X, and SpaceX.
It’s not clear how much influence Musk may have with senators or whether his comments will be taken into account during the deliberation process on the bill. Previously, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other top Republicans signaled that the bill would likely pass.
Ahead of roll call this weekend, the White House released a statement of administrative policy saying it “strongly supports passage” of the bill. On Saturday, Trump criticized Republican holdouts and threatened to campaign against Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who said he can’t support the measure due to Medicaid cuts.
Before their spat escalated, Musk appeared alongside Trump in the Oval Office in late May, as Trump praised him for his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Tesla CEO was departing the administration as his term as a special government employee expired.
Republicans have said they want to pass the bill by July 4.
