The newly established Department of Government Efficiency, referred to as DOGE, is making waves not only for its extensive budget cuts but also for its contentious leader, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk.
DOGE aims to significantly reduce federal expenditures by implementing cuts to various agencies and the government workforce, targeting what officials label as waste, fraud, and abuse. According to a list of savings released by the White House, there have been at least $2.2 billion in early savings, as reported by NBC5 Chicago, while DOGE claims it has saved taxpayers a minimum of $55 billion.
Musk expressed his ambition to help taxpayers save around $2 trillion each year.
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The sweeping cuts have prompted many social media users to advocate for some of the savings to be distributed back to residents as a stimulus check.
According to USA Today, James Fishback, CEO of Azoria investment firm, took to X to encourage Musk to provide a stimulus check based on the reported savings. A TikTok video elaborated on this concept, suggesting that taxpayers could receive up to $8,000, with the video accumulating over 5 million views since its release on Sunday.
“American taxpayers deserve a ‘DOGE Dividend’: 20% of the savings generated by DOGE should be returned to hardworking Americans as a tax refund,” Fishback stated. “It was their money to begin with! If DOGE saves $2 trillion and there are 78 million tax-paying households, this could result in a $5,000 refund for each household, with the remainder directed toward reducing the national debt. @ElonMusk, let’s make this happen! This is how we restore faith in our government.”
Musk allegedly replied to the remarks with “will check with the president.”
This suggests that while there is no immediate DOGE stimulus check in the pipeline, it remains a possibility, and there is a historical precedent for such actions.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals received three separate stimulus payments: $1,200 per person in March 2020, $600 per person in December 2020, and $1,400 per person in March 2021.
