Black-eyed and officially, allegedly on the outskirts of the Trump administration, Elon Musk is saying more about his recently discovered objections to the reconciliation package that passed the House last month and will make sweeping cuts to Medicaid if it makes its way through the Senate.
The world’s richest man is, of course, not bothered by the ways in which Republicans plan to gut the social safety net program outlined in the bill. Rather he believes it does too much to actually fund the government and it rubs up against his Department Of Government Efficiency work. Before officially exiting the Trump administration — though President Trump, perhaps tellingly, is still insisting that that is not actually happening — Musk told CBS News that he believed the size of the “massive spending bill” “undermines” the work that his DOGE cronies have been doing for the past five months. That work has, of course, been constitutionally backwards, if not illegal, as he’s used a sweeping mandate from Trump as an opening to freeze and rescind funds that were appropriated by Congress.
The Trump White House is dragging its feet to try to force Congress to actually sign elements of Elon’s DOGE rampage into law via a rescissions package — a method for codifying the unilateral withholding of congressionally authorized federal funds that even some Senate Republicans have acknowledged might be necessary to make any of DOGE’s work lawful.
It appears Musk’s beef with the spending bill — which will raise the debt ceiling and also gut other social safety net programs like SNAP for the purpose of making Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, that mostly benefited the wealthy, permanent — runs deeper than his concerns that Congress shouldn’t authorize new federal spending when he’s trying to wipe out that concept.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “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.”
“It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt,” he added.
Musk has broken with the Trump administration while effectively serving as a member of it a few times, including on Trump’s disastrous tariff plan. Facing plummeting Tesla sales, unflattering headlines about drug use and after only bringing about a mere fraction of the trillions he promised to cut in federal spending, Musk has again publicly broken with the Trump White House — though its unclear if its all a show for an audience of certain shareholders.
Buyer’s Remorse
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Tuesday acknowledged there’s a line item included in House Republicans’ reconciliation package that she didn’t realize had been shoved into the legislation at close to the last minute: Specifically, a provision that blocks states from passing laws to regulate AI over the course of the next decade. Obviously, take all this with a grain of salt. The AI provision was a known element of the bill that was reported on before it passed the House.
“Full transparency, I did not know about this section on pages 278-279 of the OBBB that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years,” she said on Twitter Tuesday. “I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there … This needs to be stripped out in the Senate.”
House GOP’s Reconciliation Bill Could Cost Lives
A new estimate from two top universities found that House Republicans’ reconciliation package could lead to more than 51,000 deaths annually if enacted.
Researchers from Yale University and University of Pennsylvania estimate that the Medicaid cuts in the GOP bill, which would result in millions losing their Medicaid and Marketplace coverage, as well as the rollback of nursing home staffing rules could take approximately 42,500 lives. In addition, the expiration of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) Premium Tax Credits could take an additional 8,811 deaths, bringing the total to more than 51,000, researchers say.
“Despite some of the callous sarcasm from Republican members of Congress lately, the stakes for this bill are truly life and death for tens of thousands of Americans,” Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) said in a Tuesday statement in response to the estimates.
If you were wondering, Wyden is referring to Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) recent unhinged “Well, we’re all going to die,” moment.
“Taking away health insurance and benefits like home care and mental health care from seniors, people with disabilities, kids, and working families will be deadly,” Wyden added. “This analysis shows the dire consequences of moving ahead with this morally bankrupt effort.”
Back from their recess, the Senate is starting to take up the House-passed reconciliation package. We will see if Senate Republicans will try to make changes to any of the Medicaid-related amendments in coming days.
— Emine Yücel
Bold
The Democratic National Committee apparently parked a taco truck outside of the RNC headquarters this afternoon to try to get under Trump’s skin about his trade policies about an apparent nickname he’s been given by Wall Street traders.
Per Axios:
The Democratic National Committee is commandeering a taco truck to mock Trump’s apparent fury at the slogan “Trump Always Chickens Out,” or “TACO,” Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Democrats clearly think they have found a way to get under the president’s skin.
Trump was asked about the mantra — used by Wall Street traders to predict his response to tariff-induced market dips — at a press conference Wednesday, and he lashed out in response.
In Case You Missed It
Trump White House Hires Harvard Law Review ‘Whistleblower’
Some Dems Warn Colleagues: Crypto Bill Could Inject Some 19th Century Chaos Into US Economy
Kristi Noem Cowed By Sheriffs Into Retreating From Latest Anti-Immigrant Broadside
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Democrats’ Hamlet Moment Isn’t the Start of a Solution But the Heart of the Problem
What We Are Reading
He Built an Airstrip on Protected Land. Now He’s in Line to Lead the Forest Service.
Navy mulls new name for USNS Harvey Milk and ships named for civil rights leaders
In my opinion, the TACO trucks must roll every time the First Felon Who Would Be King reverses himself. So, get several of them on contract, since they’ll be out at least once a week.
Democrats need to get savvy with the infotainment talking heads. Take a page from the late, supposedly great John McCain: feed 'em! Every TACO day, hold a press conference with tacos for the media. It’s cheaper than teevie ads, right?
Keep riding the TACO train until the next big thing, or even beyond, if it keeps paying off. How long did Republicans hound the late Ted Kennedy over Chappaquddick? (Look it up, kids) Even after his death, if memory serves.
And drop the flagellation of Joe Biden! It’s beating a dead horse, making you look worse, and leaving the Big Booty-filled Target – trump – untouched. Cut it out. Seriously – what do you care about the book sales of some alleged “reporter” who saved up all the good stuff for a couple of years so he could make money selling books?
I’m with Governor Walz. Time to fight back. I won’t say time to get mean because it’s only mean if they don’t deserve it. They deserve a punch in the nose.
I just want to know who punched Elmo, and if I can get a chance, too.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “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.”
“It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt,” he added.
Lord Musk continued " Of course, I pay no taxes, but that darn budget deficit is a very, very bad thing. There’s nothing I could do about it. " Then he gathered his bundle of no-bid government contracts, and left the podium. The press slavishly reported his words of wisdom as he kicked a labradoodle on his way out.
Josh Divine with all his book learning hasn’t figured out that “freedom of religion” doesn’t mean what he thinks it means.