Trump Allies Dismiss Elon Musk's Urgent Call to 'Kill the Bill' as Not a Major Factor

Elon Musk escalated his public opposition to President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending bill on Wednesday, imploring Americans to pressure their lawmakers and denouncing the legislation as fiscally reckless. The billionaire entrepreneur’s comments touched off fresh waves of debate on Capitol Hill, even as Senate Republicans moved ahead with efforts to modify the multi-trillion-dollar package.

Musk’s outspoken stance underscores how high-profile critics outside of government are attempting to shape the outcome of one of Congress’ most consequential debates. Armed with an enormous social media following and recent experience as a government advisor, Musk has doubled down on calls to “KILL the BILL,” warning that the country’s ballooning debt—now exceeding $36 trillion—threatens the nation’s financial stability.

The tension surrounding the bill was palpable among Republican lawmakers, especially after Musk’s online campaign caused unrest in the House Republican caucus. However, in the Senate, efforts were underway to dissect and adjust the legislation. While Musk previously wielded influence over a comparable measure in December, senators appeared less open to his entreaties this time around. As Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) commented, “If Elon was going to give me advice on how to get to the moon, I’d listen… But he doesn’t govern, you know, and so, to be honest, Elon, he’s not that big a factor.”

Despite the drama unfolding online, many senators spent the day in closed-door meetings with key committee chairs to discuss their respective sections of the megabill. The Senate Finance Committee subsequently met with President Trump, who reportedly urged them to “pass the damn bill” with minimal changes. According to Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Musk’s attacks barely registered during those discussions, with the president treating it more as comic relief than a substantial policy concern.

The legislative strategy hinges on the budget reconciliation process, allowing Republicans to bypass a Senate filibuster and advance the bill without Democratic support—so long as they can muster at least 51 Republican votes. Even so, divisions remain within the party. Some lawmakers are calling for deeper spending cuts, while others object to possible reductions in Medicaid or the elimination of green energy tax credits, including those for electric vehicles—a potential source of Musk’s ire given his leadership at Tesla.

Speculation has intensified that the bill’s proposed removal of electric vehicle tax incentives may be fueling Musk’s crusade. “Any senator with a brain sees Elon’s comments for what they are, a CEO worried about losing business,” a Senate Republican aide remarked, alluding to the potential impact on Tesla should these credits vanish from the final version.

Originally, the House GOP-backed package outlined $1.5 trillion in spending reductions over the next decade, offsetting the major cost of making Trump’s first-term tax cuts permanent. Yet, analysis from the Congressional Budget Office projects the bill would actually reduce spending by only $1.3 trillion and add approximately $2.4 trillion to the deficit when accounting for decreased revenues. These findings further stoked complaints from fiscal hawks and aligned Musk with senators like Mike Lee (R-Utah), who argued the legislation does not go far enough to address mounting deficits.

Senators such as Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed similar skepticism, reiterating his objection to combining the debt ceiling increase with broader budgetary measures. “My main goal is to say, take the debt ceiling and make it a separate vote… there’s still a need for less spending,” Paul explained, signaling a potential willingness to back the bill if further cuts were made and the debt ceiling handled independently.

As the Senate prepares to reshape the controversial bill, it remains uncertain whether Musk’s clout will shift the trajectory of the negotiations or simply add fuel to internal Republican disputes. What is clear, however, is that with national debt soaring and party consensus elusive, the stakes for both the legislation and the political reputations entwined with it could hardly be higher.