President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the cost-cutting initiative launched at the start of his second term, reached its scheduled July 4, 2026, sunset date Saturday, though the White House has not said whether the program will formally end.

Created by executive order in January 2025 and initially led by Elon Musk, DOGE was designed to eliminate waste, shrink the federal workforce and streamline government operations.

The administration says the effort saved $215 billion, far below Musk's original goal of $2 trillion in savings.

"President Trump was given a clear mandate to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse from the federal government," White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Politico.

"He has made significant progress in making the federal government more efficient to better serve the American taxpayer."

The White House declined to say whether DOGE will officially dissolve, as outlined in Trump's executive order, or whether it has already effectively ended.

Budget Director Russ Vought also signaled there will be no formal wrap-up.

"We have no plans to do kind of a closing DOGE report," Vought said during a congressional hearing. "I think it made some really important strides."

The initiative triggered sweeping changes across the federal government, including a deferred resignation program that attracted nearly 140,000 federal employees, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

Supporters argue DOGE successfully challenged bureaucratic inefficiency. Critics contend it caused lasting damage.

"Effectively, DOGE told the American people that they can't trust government to protect their data, to use their data and technology for good," Harvard Kennedy School professor Elizabeth Linos told the outlet.

"That has really long-lasting effects on our ability to rebuild trust in government."

Former Office of Personnel Management official Ron Sanders compared DOGE to previous government reform efforts but said the outcome was familiar.

"The end result was largely the same. A more efficient federal government, translate that to mean fewer civil servants," Sanders said.

University of Maryland public policy professor Don Kettl said earlier reform efforts focused on improving government performance, while DOGE emphasized cuts.

"This one did not, it focused solely on cutting," Kettl said. "The rebuilding process has proven awkward and trouble-filled."

Although Musk left the administration in 2025 after his temporary appointment expired, some former DOGE officials remain in government, particularly in technology modernization roles. Kettl said the initiative is unlikely to serve as a model for future administrations.

"No one will go down the DOGE road again," he said.