A recent poll indicated that 60% of Republican respondents supported the idea of stimulus checks compared to just 39% of Democrat respondents.
Americans are increasingly curious about the potential for DOGE stimulus checks as a newly established government agency, reportedly directed by billionaire Elon Musk, works to slash government expenditure through extensive layoffs of federal employees and other budget-conserving strategies.
The proposed $5,000 checks would be sourced from the savings amassed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as it strives for a $2 trillion savings target, as stated by President Donald Trump in February.
“We’re contemplating allocating 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and another 20% towards reducing the debt,” Trump remarked at the Saudi-sponsored FII PRIORITY Summit held in Miami Beach last month.
Ultimately, Congress will decide whether or not U.S. taxpayers will benefit from the $5,000 stimulus checks. Here’s how the concept originated and the current status of the situation.
How did the ‘DOGE dividend’ check proposal come about?
James Fishback, the CEO of Azoria, introduced the “DOGE dividend” idea in February, stating on X that it would serve as “a tax refund check for every taxpayer, funded solely by a portion of the total savings realized by DOGE.”
In response to Fishback’s proposal, Musk acknowledged, “I will discuss it with the President.”
Fishback’s proposal suggests that the tax refund checks would be distributed following the conclusion of DOGE in July 2026.
“American taxpayers deserve a ‘DOGE Dividend’: 20% of the funds saved by DOGE should be returned to hardworking Americans as a tax refund. After all, it was their money originally,” Fishback expressed in another post on X. “With DOGE saving $2 trillion and 78 million tax-paying households, this translates to a $5,000 refund per household, while the rest can be used to reduce the national debt.”
“@ElonMusk, let’s make this happen! This is how we restore trust in our government.”
What have lawmakers said about DOGE stimulus checks? House Republicans express concerns over debt and inflation.
Several lawmakers have voiced their opposition to the stimulus checks, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. The Republican from Louisiana appeared unimpressed when the audience at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference reacted positively to the idea of stimulus checks.
“Politically, it would be fantastic for us, you know, because everyone would receive a check,” Johnson remarked to the audience. “But when we remember our core values, we as conservatives emphasize fiscal responsibility. Our federal debt is at $36 trillion, and we’re dealing with a substantial deficit. We should focus on paying down that credit card, right?”
Other lawmakers, such as Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-UT, and Rep. Riley Moore, R-WV, have also shared doubts regarding the stimulus checks.
“From my perspective, it makes more sense to allocate any savings towards reducing the deficit, but this is definitely a discussion worth having,” Maloy stated, according to NOTUS. “I’m concerned that issuing stimulus checks could lead to inflation, which we’re trying to curb right now. If we have savings, we should preserve them.”
“The significance of the savings is what really matters to me,” Moore mentioned to NOTUS. “If the savings are substantial, it might make sense to return some of that money to the taxpayers. However, we definitely need to direct a notable portion to the debt.”
Public sentiment regarding the stimulus check
A Washington, D.C.-based research firm, J.L. Partners, conducted a “DOGE Dividend poll” that surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,001 registered voters about the stimulus checks from February 24-25.
A majority of participants expressed support for a DOGE check. Among the entire sample, 46% strongly favored the one-time $5,000 payments, and 21% somewhat supported the initiative. Merely 7% of respondents were strongly against it, according to the survey.
Republican voters (60%) were more inclined to support the checks than Democrat (39%) and Independent (39%) voters, as indicated by the poll. Additionally, Republicans aged 18 to 49, along with employed Americans, were the most likely to advocate for the DOGE dividend, according to survey results.
Current status of the DOGE stimulus checks
The fate of the stimulus checks remains uncertain, as the skeptical outlook from House Republicans appears to have diminished the initiative’s momentum.
For perspective, during Trump’s presidency, with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, GOP initiatives typically faced fewer obstacles in the current legislative environment. However, it remains unclear how the proposal for stimulus checks might navigate Congress, if at all.
Stimulus payments were distributed during Trump’s last term, but only in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Congress enacted—and President Trump signed— a $2 trillion bipartisan stimulus package to mitigate the economic challenges from the pandemic.
This package included $1,200 checks for eligible individuals and $2,400 for most married couples filing jointly, plus $500 for each qualifying child under 17. Payments were distributed to U.S. taxpayers who filed their returns in the previous two years or received Social Security or veterans’ benefits. The legislation also encompassed funding for small business loans and grants along with additional weekly unemployment insurance payments.
Contributors: Mike Snider, Maria Francis, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Greta Cross, Joey Garrison, Jessica Guynn, Nick Penzenstadler, and James Powel, USA TODAY
