The tech billionaire's work for the administration of US President Donald Trump is "not even close to done," the vice president has said

US Vice President J.D. Vance has claimed that Elon Musk will remain a "friend and adviser" to President Donald Trump and to himself, when his tenure as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is completed.

Musk's role as a special government employee is set to conclude by late May, after which the billionaire is expected to return to his private ventures. DOGE, created under Trump's executive order, will remain active until at least 2026.

Earlier this week, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO dismissed reports of his imminent departure from the agency, which is tasked with slashing federal spending, as "fake news." White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called the media reports "garbage" and insisted that Musk will depart only once his work at DOGE is finished.

During an interview with Fox news on Thursday, Vance also labeled reports that Tesla and SpaceX CEO is on the verge of leaving public service as "total fake news."

"Elon came in and we said: 'We need you to make government more efficient, we need you to shrink the incredible fat bureaucracy that thwarts the will of the American people, but also costs way too much money. We said: 'That is going to take about six months' - and that is what Elon signed up for," he explained.

Vance stressed that DOGE "has got a lot of work to do, and yeah, that work is going to continue after Elon leaves, but fundamentally, Elon is going to remain a friend and an adviser of both me and the president." The tech billionaire's work for the administration is "not even close to done," he added.

In March 2025, US employers announced 275,240 job cuts, the highest monthly total since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Notably, 216,215 of the layoffs - nearly 80% - were within the federal government, driven by DOGE initiatives aimed at reducing federal spending by $1 trillion by July 2026.