A recent social media claim suggesting that the U.S. government plans to distribute $5,000 stimulus checks, humorously dubbed “DOGE dividends,” has seemingly misled some online users.
The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump political action committee, shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that poked fun at government appointee Elon Musk’s supposed intention to send $5,000 to Americans using savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with the announcement supposedly set for “February 31st.”
BREAKING: Trump $5k stimulus checks coming out February 31st
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) February 24, 2025
However, the post received over 5 million views, leading to reactions that indicated some users might not have grasped the humor.
While a few users recognized the joke, others left comments questioning the information, such as: “Where is this information coming from? There aren’t even 31 days in February,” “To everyone?” and “When are they going to add the extra 2 days?”
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The post also garnered suggestions for a “Community Note,” which is a content moderation tool established after Musk acquired X, with users submitting alerts such as “There is no verified plan for President [Donald] Trump to distribute $5,000 to each taxpayer” and “February has only 28 days.”
This month indeed has only 28 days, and the most recent leap year—which includes a February 29—was last year.
Musk and Trump expressed interest in a proposal from investment firm CEO and conservative James Fishback, which would compensate Americans for what Fishback termed “the egregious misuse and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars that DOGE has uncovered.”
The projected cost of this plan would be $400 billion, almost a quarter of the $2 trillion that Musk claims he wants the government to save, a target that many economists deem unrealistic.
A Newsweek analysis of the 1,100 canceled government contracts listed by DOGE found savings totaling less than $7.2 billion, or just 1.8 percent of Musk’s target. DOGE asserts that its website records are outdated and claims to have achieved $55 billion in savings.
Trump has mentioned considering distributing 20 percent of DOGE’s identified savings to Americans.
Reactions to this proposal have varied. House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced concerns at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland last week, stating: “Politically, it would be great for us if you send everyone a check.”
“However, when we think about our core principles, fiscal responsibility is central to what we do as conservatives; that is our brand.”
Proceeding with any dividend payment would necessitate a Congressional act, with notable conservative figures already expressing reservations. Preston Brashers, a research fellow for tax policy at the Heritage Foundation—the conservative think tank driving Project 2025—cast doubt on the plan’s inflationary effects, commenting on X: “I appreciate what DOGE is doing, but this is a bad idea.”
“There’s no need for ‘dividend checks.’ The benefit we gain from reducing spending is that it helps control inflation. However, if the government distributes stimulus checks, inflation will inevitably surge again.”
Stimulus payments sent directly to households during the COVID-19 pandemic were found to have contributed to inflationary pressures. During Trump’s administration, two rounds of COVID-related stimulus checks were issued, which the Federal Reserve reported as responsible for increasing inflation by approximately 2.5 percentage points.
The Lincoln Project, founded by moderate Republicans, has run advertising campaigns and promotions aimed at critiquing Trump. The former president retaliated against the group in 2022 after they broadcast critical ads about him on Fox News. The PAC has labeled the contemporary Republican Party as a “nationalist cult” devoted to Trump.
DOGE has encountered renewed challenges this week, as over 20 civil service employees resigned from the department, citing their refusal to utilize their technical skills to “dismantle critical public services.”
“We promised to serve the American people and uphold our constitutional duties across presidential administrations,” the 21 staff members stated in a collective resignation letter, a copy of which was acquired by the Associated Press. “However, it has become evident that we can no longer fulfill those commitments.”
