'That's a shame': GOP lawmakers react to Musk's criticism of Trump tax bill
President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk reignited their rift this week, after the former White House adviser resumed criticism of Trump's sweeping tax, spending and policy bill. Things escalated to the point of Trump floating a threat to deport Musk, a South Africa native.
Trump's ire was piqued over Musk's barrage of X posts blasting the legislation for what he argues is a hike in federal government spending. Musk also threatened to challenge Republican senators who voted in favor of the bill in upcoming elections.
More: Trump's big tax bill is a win. It could also be a big problem for GOP
"Strong personalities can, you know, sometimes really conflict with one another. I think that's a shame," Sen. Jim Justice, R-West Virginia, told USA TODAY when asked about the riff. "I just wish Elon would go on and say, 'Okay, let's be happy with what we did, and let's get on with life and everything.' It's this little volley and back and forth, I don't think (is) constructive at all.
Musk, owner of the electric car company Tesla, has also taken issue with certain energy provisions in the bill, including green energy tax credits and taxes for certain renewable energy projects.
"I get his perspective, I'm respective of that," Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, said. "That's his company, that's his perspective. I'm not opposed to any of those energy sources. The question is, how long do we subsidize and how big?"
Highlights: Senate passes Trump's big bill with Medicaid changes; House battle is next
"We decided it's been long enough," Lankford told USA TODAY, after the vote.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said that Musk has a 'right to his opinion.'
"I think it's a good product for the country, and I think those who voted for it, I think we helped the country in several areas," Graham said.
Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a staunch Trump ally, called Musk a 'great guy.' He added that Musk has 'done a lot of good for our country' and said he had no concerns about the billionaire's criticism.
The ex-adviser's opinion did not stop the Senate from moving forward and advancing the bill, though not without the tie-breaking help of Vice President JD Vance. Now it heads to the House, where the revised legislation may meet a lukewarm welcome from fiscal conservatives who were hesitant to pass it the first time around.
'He's a great American citizen, and he has concerns about the bill," Florida Republican Rep. Mike Haridopolos said of Musk, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2002. "And you know, there is no such thing as a perfect bill, but we were trying to keep the promises that we made during the campaign, and without question, those are in the bill.
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Musk and Trump battle over tax bill. Republican lawmakers are over it
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
12 minutes ago
- CBS News
Hamas issues "positive response" to latest Gaza ceasefire proposal
How are Israel, Hamas responding to Trump's ceasefire announcement? The Hamas terrorist group said Friday it has issued a "positive response" to a U.S.-mediated ceasefire proposal in its war with Israel. In a post to Telegram, Hamas said it "submitted a positive response to the mediators' latest proposal." It added that it was "fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework," according to a translation of the post. On Tuesday, President Trump announced that Israel had agreed to a proposal for a two-month ceasefire. At the time, neither Israel nor Hamas confirmed Mr. Trump's statement. Israeli sources told CBS News on Wednesday that while there was support for the terms of the proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, Israel was not committing to it yet. Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington Monday to meet with Mr. Trump at the White House. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Forbes
22 minutes ago
- Forbes
President Donald Trump Wants A UFC Event At The White House
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Dana White and President-elect Donald Trump pose for a photo ... More during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by) If President Donald Trump has his way, the White House grounds will host a UFC title fight in 2026 as part of the America250 celebration. "Every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of 'America250' and I even think we're going to have a UFC fight," Trump said in a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Thursday, July 3. "Does anybody watch UFC? The great [UFC CEO] Dana White? We're going to have a UFC fight. We're going to have a UFC fight — think of this — on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there. "We're going to build a little — we're not, Dana is going to do it. Dana is great, one of a kind — going to be a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we're going to do that as part of '250' also." White posted the clip on social media. The SportsBusinessJournal reached out to the UFC following Trump's speech. The UFC confirmed the promotion is, 'planning to put on an event at the White House over the next year to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.' Trump recently attended the UFC 316 fight card at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey as White's cageside guest. White and Trump have a long relationship. In 2022, White recalled the early days of his involvement of the UFC, along with the promotion's owners at the time, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. "This brand was so bad, venues didn't even want us. Arenas didn't want us," said White. 'These arenas were like, 'woah, we don't want this stuff in our arena.' "So we had a hard time finding venues, and Trump literally called us. He said 'Come to my place, do the event here. We'll have you at the Trump Taj Mahal'. 'He showed up for the first fight, and was their to the last fight, both times we went there. 'Everything that happened to my in my career that happened from there on out, he would pick up the phone and congratulate me.' The UFC also shared the video of Trump announcing he would like to hold a UFC event at the White House. The promotion asked fans who they would like to see headline the fight card. One fighter, who would like to compete is former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, who wrote on social media, 'Happy 4th of July, USA. Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House. I would be honoured! Count me in!' The UFC is on a break this weekend. The promotion returns to action on Saturday, July 12 for the UFC Nashville fight card at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
26 minutes ago
Hamas says it 'responded positively' to temporary ceasefire deal proposal with Israel
Hamas announced it has submitted a "positive response" to the mediators about the current ceasefire and hostage exchange release proposal on the table. How the proposal will be implemented will require another round of negotiations, according to the group. "The movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework," Hamas said. The deal comes more than 20 months into the conflict -- and more than three months after a previous deal ended. Israel had expected a response from Hamas on the ceasefire and hostage deal by Friday, an Israeli official told ABC News. Earlier this week, a Hamas adviser said the group was still studying the proposal. "Hamas is open to any proposal that will end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, but Hamas wants guarantees that Israel will commit to moving to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement after the first phase, which is set to last for 60 days," said Taher Al-Nounou, media adviser to the head of Hamas. What's in the deal? The revised temporary ceasefire deal on the table now deals with the release of more hostages by Hamas, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the matter. The deal calls for the release of 10 living hostages from Hamas captivity and the return of 15 bodies of hostages being held by the terrorist group. It is believed there are about 20 living hostages still being held by Hamas. According to the terms of the proposal, the release of the 10 living hostages and 15 bodies will be staggered over the 60-day period the temporary ceasefire is in effect. Under the terms of the deal, Hamas will not hold ceremonies for the hostage releases, as they did during a previous six-week ceasefire. Discussion of a permanent ceasefire will take place during the 60-day period. Even after Hamas responds to the proposal, there are still several issues that remain to be addressed, one of the sources said -- including the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages. In many rounds of negotiations, Hamas has sought a guaranteed end to the war in Gaza -- but that remained a chief sticking point in recent negotiations and something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not agreed to budge on. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that Israel had agreed to conditions for the 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. Trump said representatives from Qatar and Egypt would deliver the final proposal to Hamas, which came after a "long and productive meeting" between Trump officials and Israeli officials in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. The latest deal comes after months of negotiations over a ceasefire led in part by U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. In May, the White House submitted an Israeli-approved proposal for a 60-day ceasefire to Hamas, but the deal stalled. At the time, Trump urged both Israel and Hamas to make a deal ahead of and during his first foreign policy trip of his second term in office to the Middle East. Ultimately, a deal was not reached, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ramped up attacks on Gaza after Trump left the region In January, a six-week temporary ceasefire went into effect, resulting in the release of dozens of captives held by Hamas and an exchange of Palestinian prisoners. However, that ceasefire ended on March 18 when Israel resumed military operations against Hamas in Gaza, with Israel citing the failure to release the remaining hostages and saying the military was targeting Hamas terrorists who posed a threat to Israeli troops and citizens. The Israeli government also imposed a blockade on humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip on March 2 that lasted for 11 weeks and ended on May 19. The Israel-Hamas war has taken a grim human toll. Since the war began, nearly 56,000 people in Gaza have been killed and more than 131,000 have been wounded, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed in a Hamas-led terrorist attack on southern Israel. Hundreds more were taken hostage. At least 20 living hostages are believed to still remain in Hamas captivity.
