Elon Musk's DOGE savings dwarfed by deficit-ballooning Trump bill
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Elon Musk bemoaned President Trump's signature legislative effort in an interview with CBS News this week, saying he was "disappointed to see the massive spending bill," which is projected to add trillions to budget deficits.
Why it matters: Musk and his businesses were walloped by backlash to his leadership of DOGE. Now the fruit of those efforts — more government savings — are at risk of being washed away by Trump's "One, Big Beautiful Bill."
The big picture: Elon Musk claims that his DOGE team saved $175 billion in taxpayer spending, though an outside analysis estimates the verified savings are closer to $16 billion.
- The "One Big, Beautiful Bill," which passed the House last week, is projected to add $3 trillion to 5 trillion to budget deficits over the next 10 years.
- Even using Musk's most generous estimate, those DOGE savings would amount to just 6% of the projected increase to the deficit from the bill.
Between the lines: The primary driver of deficits in the bill is the extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts, which Republicans aim to partially offset with cuts to Medicaid, green energy tax breaks and other programs.
- The bill also includes significant new spending on border security and the military.
- The White House argues the bill will reduce the deficit by $1.6 trillion, claiming that tax cut extensions shouldn't count as new costs — and that Trump's policies will supercharge economic growth.
Go deeper: Elon Musk leaves legacy of self-destruction at DOGE
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect the GOP's spending bill passed the House last week, not this week.
