By Kelsey Brugger | 06/05/2025 06:29 AM EDT The world’s richest man is seeking to kill the GOP’s top legislative priority, which contains provisions that would hurt his business. Elon Musk during a press conference with President Donald Trump last week. Francis Chung/POLITICO The single biggest donor in last year’s elections stands to lose billions of dollars because the Republicans he helped bankroll are now poised to scrap energy policies that support his electric car and energy business. But Elon Musk has repeatedly pointed to deficit concerns when going on an online blitz starting Tuesday against the GOP’s “big beautiful bill,” breaking his allegiance to President Donald Trump and stunning congressional leaders who are trying to pass a tax cut, energy and security spending package with razor-thin majorities. Still, lawmakers and other observers are questioning Musk’s motives. And the billionaire himself has provided some clues he’s not happy with how the GOP bill would hurt his bottom line. Advertisement “Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL,” Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns, on Wednesday. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has worked to rebut Musk, at one point Tuesday suggesting the Tesla CEO was miffed about the legislation scrapping Biden-era rules meant to promote the use of electric vehicles. “It’s part of the Green New Deal. And I know that has an effect on his businesses, and I’ll admit that,” Johnson said. “But for him to come out and pan the whole bill is, to me, just very disappointing.” On Wednesday, Johnson would not address Musk’s potential motives. “Everybody can draw their own conclusions about that,” the speaker said. “Look, I don’t subscribe [motivation] to anybody.” Musk’s public displeasure with the megabill started showing last week as he was preparing to leave his position as a special federal worker tasked with cutting spending. Musk amplified a post from Tesla Energy, a part of his business empire focused on solar and batteries, against the House-passed bill’s rollback of renewable energy credits from the Democrats’ 2022 climate law. “Abruptly ending the energy tax credits would threaten America’s energy independence and the reliability of our grid,” the company wrote. Murk also amplified a post saying “slashing solar energy credits is unjust.” “There is no change to tax incentives for oil & gas, just EV/solar,” Musk wrote. And even though Musk had said he didn’t want federal incentives for his EV business, POLITICO and other outlets — citing anonymous sources — have said the billionaire was lobbying to protect those very credits. “Tesla certainly stands to lose a perverse incentive to manufacture cars people aren’t willing to pay for,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). “Or we’ll find out who’s actually willing to pay for them if they are not subsidized. But frankly, I’ve never been lobbied by Tesla or Elon personally.” ‘He just wants to be treated fairly’ Fiscal hawks in Congress are either trumpeting Musk’s attacks against the bill or suggesting changes are needed. Many other lawmakers are showing contempt for the Trump ally — especially if he’s throwing a tantrum because of business concerns he once claimed not to have. About a dozen lawmakers asked about the dispute Wednesday told POLITICO’s E&E News they had not heard from Tesla lobbyists in years, and when they had heard from Musk himself recently, the conversation was not about his cars. Musk’s focus on federal cost-cutting meant he focused less on his businesses. “Elon came here and sacrificed six months of his life that no one remotely near his net worth would do,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who owns car dealerships. He continued, “And he never came here to advocate for Tesla. He’s the one guy — the business leader — who doesn’t come here looking for a handout. He just wants to be treated fairly.” President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11. | AP That could be true, but the Republicans’ continued targeting of EV incentives at a time when Tesla Motors has been struggling may have finally rubbed Musk the wrong way. The GOP in recent weeks used the Congressional Review Act — a rule-busting law — to scrap a Biden EPA waiver for California emissions rules meant to promote the use of EVs. Then there’s the megabill. Republicans are moving to end a $7,500 tax credit for EV buyers by the end of this year. Moreno suggested the Senate could push to end the credit in September. In addition, new requirements to root out Chinese materials from U.S. supply chains stand to thwart the advanced manufacturing credit, or 45X, meant to benefit facilities like Tesla’s Nevada battery plant. Cramer said Musk has never pushed him to support EV credits. “He’s never said that,” the senator said, noting he’s exchanged an occasional text message with Musk. “He’s never said that to me. … I don’t question his motives.” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has opposed the megabill, came to Musk’s defense. “Musk is a true America First entrepreneur who could have had a much more comfortable existence and a higher net worth by sitting on the sidelines of politics. But he cares about this country, so he got involved,” Massie wrote on X Thursday. Musk responded with a heart and American flag. ‘They are not fine’ In the past six months, as Musk took a proverbial chainsaw to the federal government — and wielded an actual one in an infamous appearance — his company’s lobbying presence on Capitol Hill was seriously limited, said an auto lobbyist granted anonymity to speak freely. Indeed, Tesla’s government relations shop was gutted in roughly the last year after some high-profile departures, but the company retained Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in addition to Cassidy & Associates. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh, they will be fine, the CEO is in the White House,’” the auto lobbyist said. “They are not fine.” Disclosure records show Tesla and its outside firms spent $240,000 in the first quarter of this year on discussing clean energy tax credits and other policies. None of that was on the California clean car waiver issue, which observers said should have been a concern. “They don’t have much of a [government relations] presence on the Hill anymore,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), though he recalled meeting in 2019 with a Tesla executive who’s no longer with the company. Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) said he used to meet with Tesla to talk about clean energy issues but “haven’t seen them in a while.” “They were interested in the deployment of batteries,” he said. “It’s a great invention. They have a lot to offer.” Democrats like Peters and Levin are happy to see Musk join them in opposing the legislation, which Republicans are looking to muscle through using the budget reconciliation process. It allows the majority to bypass the Senate filibuster on certain fiscal matters. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who runs an electronics manufacturing business, said of Musk: “He’s an incredibly smart man, we know that. But one can be naive about politics.” Reporter Timothy Cama contributed. This story also appears in Energywire. Related Articles