Could $5,000 DOGE stimulus checks happen? Here’s what we know.
$5,000 stimulus checks proposed by the Trump administration in an effort to limit federal expenditure have been mentioned, but will they actually come to fruition?
President Donald Trump has indicated his administration is considering channeling 20% of “DOGE savings” back to taxpayers. Could residents of Georgia receive a $5,000 DOGE stimulus check? Who qualifies for such checks?
Is the $5,000 DOGE stimulus a reality?
The notion that the Trump administration may provide Americans a share of reduced federal spending has been suggested. However, this remains hypothetical, with one proposed plan excluding low-income families from potential benefits.
The Department of Government Efficiency would need to recover $2 trillion in savings to make these checks feasible, and unofficial comments from the department’s leader, Elon Musk, suggested that this may be an insurmountable task. Any checks would require Congressional approval to proceed.
What is DOGE?
On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order that transformed the U.S. Digital Service into the Department of Government Efficiency, now known as the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization. Elon Musk was subsequently appointed as a “special government employee.”
Although Trump referred to Musk as the DOGE leader, Amy Gleason has recently been designated as the acting DOGE administrator.
Who proposed the DOGE checks?
Azoria CEO James Fishback introduced the idea on X (previously known as Twitter). He advocated for a “DOGE Dividend” – a tax refund check issued to every taxpayer, financed solely from the savings generated by DOGE.
Musk responded, “Will check with the President.”
During a later address, Trump mentioned hundreds of billions in savings, stating, “We’re considering allocating 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and another 20% for debt repayment.”
Do DOGE savings add up?
To date, DOGE has announced significant cuts, though these have faced challenges during subsequent fact checks, with some being retracted. The situation has yielded criticism from both parties in Congress.
“DOGE has an extraordinary chance to eliminate waste and inefficiencies,” commented Nat Malkus, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, in a blog post. “However, the carelessness displayed thus far could give pause to even its staunchest supporters.”
In mid-February, DOGE reported $55 billion in savings to taxpayers. The largest error related to the “Wall of Receipts” inflated a figure from $8 million to $8 billion. Actual savings from canceled contracts, leases, and grants amounted to $16.5 billion.
Musk also mentioned the cancellation of 89 research contracts at the Department of Education, initially costing $881 million, which was later revised to $489 million. An analysis by New America found the total to be closer to $278 million.
As of March 3, the Wall of Receipts indicated a total of $105 billion in savings, which includes the cancellation of 23 federal real estate contracts in Georgia. Comprehensive fact-checking is ongoing, and revisions made in the latest data concerning real estate contracts removed some details that were previously provided about the type and use of contracts.
Who could be eligible for a check?
Fishback shared a detailed “DOGE dividend” plan, asserting it should be allocated only to tax-paying households earning above a threshold income level. He mentioned that this plan was conceived in about 2.5 hours before being submitted to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other Trump administration officials.
“Many low-income families essentially received transfer payments amounting to 25 to 30% of their annual income,” Fishback commented regarding COVID-19 stimulus checks. “This is directed solely to households that are net-payers of federal income tax, meaning they typically save these transfer payments, rather than spending them like lower-income households might.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 14% of residents in Georgia are living in poverty. The median household income in the state is $74,664, with an average income of $39,525 per person.
The Pew Research Center estimates that most individuals with an adjusted gross income below $30,000 effectively pay no federal income tax, with refundable credits predominantly benefiting low-income recipients.
Could DOGE checks actually reach Americans?
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson expressed a preference for using the funds to address the national deficit. It’s yet unclear if Congress will adopt the proposal and how the final eligibility criteria will be structured.
Mike Snider, Joey Garrison, Zachary Schermele, Dian Zhang, Greta Cross, James Powel, and Maria Francis contributed to this article.
Miguel Legoas is a reporter for the Deep South Connect Team at Gannett/USA Today. Follow him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas or reach out via email at [email protected].
