Elon Musk harshly criticized the emblematic legislation promoted by President Donald Trump, the billionaire accusing it that it will grow “massively” the US public debt. But two sources that spoke to Musk told Axios said that he is actually frustrated that he had not been able to achieve favorable treatment through the draft law and, wider, from Trump's administration.
“I'm sorry, but I simply can not support. This mass of massive, revolting, full of Congress is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you were wrong.” You know this, “Musk wrote in a message distributed on the social network” X “.
“It will increase massively the already gigantic budget deficit to 2.5 trillion (!!!) and will burden American citizens with a crushing debt that cannot be supported,” he wrote in a separate message published immediately afterwards.
In the hours that followed he published or redistributed a wave of messages distributed on this subject, largely supporting messages for his comments from some US legislators or well -known US political commentators. “Congress bankrupts America,” Musk wrote in one of his own messages.
The White House responded by publishing on its website an article about “50 victories in the great and beautiful law”. The article of the White House uses the words with which Donald Trump has repeatedly described this law.
Why is this law so important to Donald Trump
Although written by the Republican legislators in Congress, it was drafted in collaboration with the Trump administration to transpose into the law a large part of the promises made by the Republican leader during last year's election campaign.
It is a special type of law, called a “reconciliation law”. In the US Congress, budget reconciliation is a special legislative procedure, created to accelerate in the Senate the adoption of certain federal laws regarding the budget.
This procedure bypasses the rules of obstructionism (“filibuster”) in the Senate, which could otherwise impose a qualified majority of 60 votes for the adoption of a draft law on the budget. The draft laws written as “reconciliation” laws can be adopted in the Senate by a simple majority of 51 votes-or 50 votes plus the voting vote of the Vice-President, in case of equality.
The budget reconciliation projects can approach the compulsory expenses, the income and the ceiling of the federal debt, and the Senate can adopt a draft law per year for each of these topics. Thus, the Congress can adopt a maximum of three reconciliation projects per year, although, in practice, it often adopts a single project that concerns both expenses and revenues. With this intention, the “great and beautiful law” was drafted.
The Chamber of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Congress, adopted on May 22 the draft law on the budget promoted by Trump, at a difference of one vote. It will go further for ratification in the Senate, where several Republican legislators have expressed their opposition to it due to the increase of the US expenses and indebtedness with 4 trillion (4,000 billion) dollars.
What was dissatisfied with Elon Musk
Musk, who until last week was part of the White House administration, had criticized the draft law signed by Trump, but until Tuesday, his rhetoric had been much more restrained and discreet.
“Elon has blushed like a child,” said one of the Axios sources.
Familiar sources with the relationship between Musk and Trump say that there were four key moments that led to the billionaire's virulent attack on the US budget draft.
- The law reduces the fiscal credit for electric vehicles, which benefit car producers such as Tesla, Musk's company. By the end of April, his company had spent at least $ 240,000 to lobby in favor of this loan and other issues related to the company. Beyond that, say the sources, Musk actively supported the inclusion of the measure in the law, but without success;
- Musk worked at the White House as a “special government employee”, an unpaid consultative position, limited by law to 130 days. He discussed the possibility of remaining in this role and after the expiration of the term, but the white house officials finally decided that he could no longer continue in that capacity;
- Musk wanted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use its Starink satellite system to control national air traffic, according to sources. But the administration refused the idea, invoking a possible conflict of interest and technological reasons. “You cannot have the control of air traffic based exclusively on satellites,” said the second source consulted by Axios.[deAxios
The “drop that filled the glass” for Musk in the relationship with Trump
- “The drop that filled the Musk glass came on Saturday night, when Trump suddenly announced that he withdraws the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a close ally of Musk, for the position of NASA administrator,” writes Axios.
After the withdrawal of Isaacman's nomination, the rumor that Sergio Gor, the director of the Office for Presidential Personnel, who had conflicts with Musk, was the one who stood behind the decision.
“It was Sergio's kind of saying 'Damn' while he was leaving the door,” a White House official said for Axios.
Two members of Trump's administration contradicted this version, saying that, on the contrary, the Republican senators complained that Isaacman had donated money for Democrats, and the White House wanted a Republican loyalist at the head of the US Aerospace Agency.
“But perception is reality, and I am quite sure that Elon considered the situation with NASA as one last insult,” said the official from the White House. “So here we are here,” he concluded.
