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In early June 2025, Elon Musk publicly called for Congress to kill H.R. 1, arguing that the Republican budget bill would increase federal deficits and debt. The figures at the center of the dispute were estimates for the version the House had passed—not for the law that was ultimately enacted a month later.
What Musk objected to
Musk’s reported call to “KILL the BILL” was a response to H.R. 1, the Republican budget legislation then under consideration in the Senate. Gizmodo’s June 5, 2025 report described him as opposing the bill because he believed it would worsen federal deficits and the national debt. The headline’s phrase “throwing a fit” is a characterization of the political dispute, not an independently established explanation of Musk’s motives. Gizmodo’s contemporaneous report recounts the episode.
The reported slogan should be understood as wording attributed to Musk by that report, rather than as a quotation independently verified here. His stated fiscal argument is distinct from speculation about any other reason he opposed the legislation.
What the budget estimates said
Projected deficit increase: $2.4 trillion
On June 4, 2025, the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that H.R. 1, as passed by the House on May 22, would increase federal deficits by $2.4 trillion over fiscal years 2025 through 2034. That estimate excluded the effects of macroeconomic feedback and additional debt-service costs. CBO and JCT calculated it as a $3.7 trillion reduction in revenues offset by a $1.3 trillion reduction in noninterest outlays. These were projections, not a record of deficits that had already occurred. CBO’s estimate for the House-passed bill provides the calculation and its scope.
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Projected increase in people without insurance: 10.9 million
Also on June 4, 2025, CBO estimated that the House-passed version would result in 10.9 million more people being uninsured in 2034. The estimate included 1.4 million people without verified citizenship, nationality, or satisfactory immigration status who CBO projected would no longer be covered through state-only funded programs in that year. This, too, was a projection tied to the House text—not an observed outcome or a figure for the enacted law. CBO’s 2034 uninsured estimate explains the coverage projection.
Why the bill version matters
The June dispute happened before Congress finished the legislation. The $2.4 trillion deficit estimate and 10.9 million uninsured estimate both apply to H.R. 1 as passed by the House on May 22, 2025. The bill later passed through the Senate and became Public Law 119-21 on July 4, 2025. Estimates for the House-passed bill should not be presented as estimates for the final law: CBO lists separate analyses for the House-passed, Senate-passed, and enacted versions. CBO’s H.R. 1 cost-estimates page distinguishes those versions.
For a fair comparison of any figures across versions, check the legislative text being analyzed, the baseline and time period, and whether the estimate includes macroeconomic effects or debt-service costs. A headline number without those qualifications can make unlike estimates appear comparable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the numbers establish—and what they do not
The CBO and JCT estimates support the substance of Musk’s stated concern: analysts projected a substantial deficit increase under the House-passed bill, alongside a projected rise in the number of uninsured people. They do not establish why Musk took that position beyond the fiscal objection reported at the time, nor do House-version projections by themselves describe the consequences of the enacted statute.
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