Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called on Congress to throw out Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act, which Democrats are working to pass with budget reconciliation.
“Honestly, I would just can this whole bill,” Musk said, per Just the News. “Don’t pass it. That’s my recommendation.”
Musk argued that the federal government should “get out of the way and not impede progress,” urging that the government should be a “referee” rather than a “player on the field.”
“Rules and regulations are immortal,” he said at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council event on Thursday. “They don’t die. The vast majority of rules and regulations live forever...there’s not really an effective garbage collection system for removing rules and regulations, so this hardens the arteries of civilization where you are able to do less and less over time.”
When the moderator noted that the bill includes funding for the expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Musk gave a somewhat shocking response.
“Unnecessary,” he said. “Do we need support for gas stations? We don’t. I’m literally saying get rid of all subsidies.”
“If this was a company, it would be a $3 trillion loss,” he said. “This can’t keep going.”
He added the government could “delete” all billionaires and still not be able to fix the deficit.
“The government is simply the biggest corporation, with a monopoly on violence and where you have no recourse,” he said. “It’s the only one that’s allowed to legally do violence.”