Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) pushed back against Elon Musk's criticism of President Donald Trump's sweeping new tax and spending package, insisting the billionaire CEO "doesn't understand how the tax bill works."
Appearing on CNBC Monday morning, LaHood defended the legislation, which narrowly passed the House last week and now heads to the Senate.
CNBC: Even Elon Musk said he's not happy with this bill
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 2, 2025
REP. DARIN LaHOOD: He doesn't understand how the tax bill works pic.twitter.com/EOkppaAHZ5
"I would disagree with Elon in the sense that he doesn't understand how the tax bill works," LaHood said, citing positive economic data from the 2017 tax cuts and describing the current proposal as "rocket fuel for the economy."
Musk, who formally announced last week that he'd step away from his work with the Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said he was "disappointed" by the bill, warning it would balloon the deficit and undermine DOGE's core mission.
"I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both," Musk told CBS Sunday Morning.
The legislation includes trillions in tax cuts alongside major boosts to defense and national security spending, offset by cuts to social and energy programs. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates it could add $3.8 trillion to the deficit.
LaHood, however, remained bullish on the bill, highlighting provisions like bonus depreciation and the R&D tax credit as critical to spurring economic growth—regardless of Musk's misgivings.
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