White House defends Trump mega-bill after Musk appeals to ‘Kill the Bill’

White House defends Trump's policy bill amid criticism from Elon Musk, predicting $2.4 trillion deficit increase by 2034.

The White House on Wednesday (June 5, 2025) blasted a prediction that Donald Trump’s policy mega-bill could send the deficit soaring, as Elon Musk doubled down on his criticism of the US president’s plans.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said Mr. Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” — the centrepiece of his domestic agenda — would add a giant $2.4 trillion to the U.S. deficit by 2034.

Mr. Trump’s combative Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller slammed the independent watchdog on social media as “lefty” — echoing the administration’s frequent line of attack against its opponents.

“We are in a very good place with the bill,” said Russ Vought, head of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, which did the sums for Trump’s bill.

He told reporters on a call that the congressional office’s prediction “does not reflect reality.”

But the package, which could define Mr. Trump’s second term and make or break Republican prospects in the 2026 midterms, is getting a rough ride in the U.S. Congress.

The plan would fund an extension of Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax relief from his first term in the White House by piling on debt and cutting social welfare for the poorest Americans.