DOGE row: Elon Musk officially quits Donald Trump's govt after 6 months, slams ‘big beautiful bill’

Amidst speculations about Elon Musk, rumours of the tech billionaire quitting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saw a rise. The Tesla CEO on Thursday, May 29, took to his X (formerly called Twitter) and announced that he is leaving the Donald Trump administration after criticising the President's 'big beautiful bill'.

In the post, the 53-year-old billionaire thanked US President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending and said that his scheduled time as a special government employee has come to an end.

"The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," he added in the post.



Notably, the departure of Musk comes a day after he criticised the centrepiece of President Trump's legislative agenda, saying he was 'disappointed' by what the president calls his 'big beautiful bill'.

During a recent interview with CBS, Musk described the legislation, which includes a mix of tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement. He said 'big beautiful bill' referred to a massive spending bill that increases the federal deficit and 'undermines the work' of his DOGE.

“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful,” Musk said. “But I don’t know if it could be both.” He also said that he is not happy about certain aspects of it, however, he is thrilled by other aspects of it.

Moreover, the Republicans recently pushed the measure through the House and are now debating it in the Senate.



According to an HT report, on Wednesday, while speaking at a Milwaukee Press Club event, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, the United States Senator, said, “I sympathise with Elon being discouraged."

He added that he was quite confident that there was enough opposition to slow this process down until the president, our leadership, gets serious about reducing spending.


There was no amount of pressure Trump could put on him to change his position, he added. However, he also thanked Musk for his work and promised to pursue more spending cuts in the future: “The House is eager and ready to act on DOGE’s findings.”

Musk is criticising the government while he refocuses on businesses like SpaceX, a rocket producer, and Tesla, an electric carmaker. Additionally, he has stated that he will cut back on his political expenditures because "I think I've done enough."

Musk’s remarks follow his decision to step away from his involvement with the government and refocus on his businesses, including electric vehicle maker Tesla and aerospace firm SpaceX. He’s also stated he plans to scale back his political contributions, saying, “I think I’ve done enough.”