Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of trying to “divide the Republicans” in his stance against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Musk has long complained that the tax legislation passed by the Senate Tuesday will stifle his electric car company’s growth and contribute to the national debt. The House already passed its own version weeks ago despite Musk’s criticism and is expected to pass the chamber a second time before July 4.

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“Musk might have some influence, but we’re so focused on getting this job done, it seems to me he’s trying to divide the Republicans, derail the president’s agenda, and we’re not going to allow that to happen,” Malliotakis said on Fox Business’s Varney & Co Tuesday.

“So either, you know, maybe he’s mad because we’re not focused on billionaires, government’s actually focused on the middle class for once, or maybe he’s just upset over the EV tax credits,” Malliotakis said.

This was likely in reference to the end of electric vehicle tax credits proposed by the bill. Both chambers phased out these credits in their drafts. While the Senate initially floated a softer phasing out, after days of debating the issue, senators ultimately adopted the House’s proposal.

Musk has yet to publicly respond to the Senate officially passing the bill. As a former senior adviser to President Donald Trump, he threatened to help fund primary challengers of all the Republican senators who voted for the bill. 

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In the Senate, only Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) voted against the bill. In the House, the bill’s opponents included Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Warren Davidson (R-OH), and Andy Harris (R-MD), with all three citing their concerns over the nation’s deficit.

The threat from Musk was an equal response to Trump launching efforts to find primary challengers against Tillis and Massie. However, Tillis announced he wasn’t running for reelection, while Massie used Trump’s threat as fodder for his campaign, which has consistently won him at least 75% of the vote each cycle.