Are you anticipating a stimulus check from the Trump administration’s DOGE program? Is it a stimulus check, a refund check, or a dividend, and from where would this funding originate?
During a speech on Wednesday, President Donald Trump mentioned he is contemplating a plan to distribute $5,000 stimulus checks to taxpayers as a form of ‘DOGE dividend.’ He described this as a measure to return 20% of the savings identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to American taxpayers.
The concept of a ‘DOGE dividend’ was suggested earlier by James Fishback, CEO of the Azoria investment firm, on Musk’s social media platform X on Tuesday. He proposed that Trump and Musk “should introduce a ‘DOGE Dividend’ — a tax refund check sent to every taxpayer, entirely funded by a portion of the total savings achieved through DOGE.” Musk responded, “I’ll check with the President.”
Here’s what you need to know regarding the potential DOGE check.
What is DOGE?
The Department of Government Efficiency, formally recognized as the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, is an initiative established by Trump and spearheaded by ‘special government employee’ Musk.
DOGE’s objective is to curb federal spending, simplify regulations, and modernize government technology and software to boost efficiency and productivity.
Is DOGE genuinely saving money?
Upon its inception, DOGE aimed to save up to $2 trillion annually. According to DOGE, it has successfully saved $55 billion through government cuts so far; however, this claim remains unverified. WHYY.org reported that these figures don’t add up.
The agency has enacted significant budget cuts across multiple federal departments, resulting in widespread layoffs among federal employees. Departments impacted include the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
— Report contributed by USA TODAY Network journalist Maria Francis.
