President Donald Trump promised on Friday to codify the significant spending cuts requested by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), praising Elon Musk’s work on his last day working for the Trump administration.
“We’re totally committed to making the DOGE cuts permanent,” Trump said during a press conference in the Oval Office, adding that “most of it is going to come later.”
Although Musk is stepping down from DOGE to focus on his other companies, President Trump assured that the initiative will continue uncovering and cutting waste. He predicted it would lead to “hundreds of billions of dollars” in additional savings. However, he emphasized that his priority is getting the “great Big, Beautiful Bill finished and done" before fully implementing the cuts identified by DOGE.
So far, DOGE has saved an estimated $175 billion through various cost-cutting measures. These include selling assets, canceling or renegotiating contracts and leases, eliminating fraud and improper payments, canceling grants, saving on interest, making program and regulatory changes, and reducing workforce expenses.
Trump said that “almost all" of DOGE’s employees are staying, and that Americans are "going to see the results coming long into the future."
Although Musk is stepping aside, he emphasized that his departure does not mark the end of DOGE—“but really the beginning.” He also expressed confidence that the United States will ultimately achieve $1 trillion in waste and fraud reduction.
“The DOGE team will only grow stronger over time, the DOGE influence will only grow stronger,” Musk said, standing next to Trump in the Oval Office on Friday.
However, this will unlikely be the last time Musk is seen at the White House. He has said he will continue to support President Trump as a “friend and advisor,” adding that he’s willing to “spend a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the President wants me to, and as long as it remains useful.”
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