Post by : Mariam
Al-Faris
Photo: AP
Elon Musk announced on Wednesday night that he is stepping down from his role as a top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump. He had been working as a special government employee, helping lead efforts to cut down on unnecessary government spending.
“My scheduled time comes to an end”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk said, “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. The @DOGE mission will only grow stronger over time as it becomes a way of life across the government.”
A White House official confirmed Musk’s departure but chose to remain unnamed.
His decision to leave came shortly after he publicly criticized one of President Trump’s major proposals — a large tax and immigration bill that Trump has called his “big beautiful bill.”
“It can be big or beautiful, but not both”
During an interview with CBS on Tuesday night, Musk referred to the bill as a “massive spending bill” and added, “I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t think it can be both.”
His comments seemed to resonate with some conservative lawmakers. Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin said at a local event, “I understand why Elon is disappointed,” and added that there’s likely enough Republican opposition to slow down the bill unless the administration gets more serious about cutting spending.
“It still has a long way to go”
President Trump responded to the criticism by saying the bill is a result of complicated negotiations. “I’m not happy about certain parts of it, but I’m excited about others,” he said in the Oval Office. “We’ll see what happens. It still has a long way to go.”
The bill was recently approved by the Republican-controlled House and is now headed to the Senate, where debates are heating up. House Speaker Mike Johnson has asked the Senate not to make big changes to the bill, warning that the deal is a fragile one and could fall apart if altered too much. The House would have to vote again after the Senate finalizes its version.
Elon Musk’s exit adds more drama to an already tense political battle and highlights growing disagreements among Republicans about the direction of future government spending.
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