In the upcoming weeks, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is expected to step down from his position helming the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to Politico.
President Donald Trump told members of his cabinet that Musk will be pulling back from his current role, the publication reported April 2.
Both Trump and Musk decided that the car company CEO should return to his businesses soon and take on a supporting government role, according to three Trump insiders who spoke to Politico under the condition of anonymity. One senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely hold an informal advisory role.
Trump created the DOGE to slash government spending and infrastructure, as detailed in an Feb. 26 executive order.
Previously, the government outfit said it was terminating leases for at least 748 federal sites for a total of $660 million in estimated savings, including FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services facilities. Numbers for both lease cancellations and estimated savings have fluctuated since early March, with the department now displaying 676 lease terminations totaling around $400 million as of March 30.
Even before the election, Trump had reportedly started floating the idea of Musk stepping back. During a March 24 cabinet meeting, the president discussed Musk’s transition, two senior officials relayed to Politico.
In an April 2 post on X, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote that Politico's "'scoop' was garbage."
"Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete," she said.
It’s unclear who—if anyone—would take Musk’s spot leading the new DOGE unit or whether the federal grant and lease terminations will continue.
As of publication, White House chief of staff Susan Wiles has not responded to Fierce Biotech’s request for comment.