Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after criticizing president's budget bill

The billionaire entrepreneur posted Wednesday about his decision on his social media website X, formerly Twitter.

“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”

A White House official, who requested anonymity to talk about the change, confirmed Musk was leaving.

Musk's departure came a day after he criticized the centerpiece of Trump’s legislative agenda, saying he was “disappointed” by what the president calls his “big beautiful bill.”

The billionaire, who supported Trump's candidacy with at least $250 million, said he was "disappointed" in the president's budget bill of tax breaks and spending cuts.

The legislation includes a mix of tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement. While speaking to CBS, Musk described it as a "massive spending bill" that increases the federal deficit and "undermines the work" of his Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.

His CBS interview came out Tuesday night. Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday, defended his agenda by talking about the delicate politics involved with negotiating the legislation.

“I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it," he said.

Trump also suggested that more changes could be made.

“We’re going to see what happens," he said. "It’s got a way to go.”

Republicans recently pushed the legislation through the House and continued debating it Wednesday in the Senate.

Musk's concerns are shared by some Republican lawmakers. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said Wednesday he was “pretty confident” there was enough opposition "to slow this process down until the president, our leadership, gets serious" about reducing spending.

Speaker Mike Johnson asked senators to make as few changes to the legislation as possible, saying that House Republicans reached a “very delicate balance” that could be upended with major changes. The narrowly divided House will have to vote again on final passage once the Senate alters the bill.

On Wednesday, Johnson thanked Musk for his work and promised to pursue more spending cuts in the future, saying “the House is eager and ready to act on DOGE’s findings.”

The White House is sending some proposed rescissions, a mechanism used to cancel previously authorized spending, to Capitol Hill to solidify some of DOGE’s cuts.

A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said the package will include $1.1 billion from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and $8.3 billion in foreign assistance.

Musk's comments come as he steps back from his government work, rededicating himself to companies like the electric automaker Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX. He's also said he'll reduce his political spending, because "I think I've done enough."

At times, he's seemed chastened by his experience working in government. Though he hoped that DOGE would generate $1 trillion in spending cuts, he's fallen far short of that target.

Musk previously was effusive about the opportunity to reshape Washington. He wore campaign hats in the White House, held his own campaign rallies and talked about excessive spending as an existential crisis.

He was also effusive in his praise of Trump.

"The more I've gotten to know President Trump, the more I like the guy," Musk said at one point. "Frankly, I love him."

Trump repaid the favor, describing Musk as "a truly great American." When Tesla faced declining sales, he turned the White House driveway into a makeshift showroom to illustrate his support.

It's unclear what, if any, impact Musk's comments about the bill would have on the legislative debate. During the transition period, he helped whip up opposition to a spending measure as the country stood on the brink of a federal government shutdown.

Musk's criticism could embolden Republicans who want bigger spending cuts. Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee reposted a Fox News story about Musk's interview while also adding his own take on the measure, saying there was "still time to fix it."

"The Senate version will be more aggressive," Lee said. "It can, it must, and it will be. Or it won't pass."

Only two Republicans — Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — voted against the bill when the House took up the measure last week.

The Congressional Budget Office, in a preliminary estimate, said the tax provisions would increase federal deficits by $3.8 trillion over the decade, while the reductions to Medicaid, food stamps and other services would trim spending by slightly more than $1 trillion over the same period.