Tech billionaire Elon Musk — who headed up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — made waves this week when he took aim at the sprawling package passed by the House last week to advance Trump’s tax priorities, while raising concerns over the potential deficit impact of the measure.
“I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said in a snippet of an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” that airs later this week.
Amid the uproar, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday said the House-passed bill to enact Trump’s agenda is intended to build on DOGE’s “success.” And he added the GOP-led House is “eager and ready to act on DOGE’s findings” by quickly passing a package to codify the cuts and using the “appropriations process to swiftly implement President Trump’s 2026 budget.”
The White House is expected to send a formal request to Congress next week asking lawmakers to rescind more than $9 billion in funding for programs such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funds to PBS and NPR.
GOP leaders are also still looking to full-year appropriations as a path to lock in the changes pursued by DOGE, noting the restrictive process Republicans are using to advance Trump’s agenda would not allow for cuts to discretionary spending.
The Hill has more here.
