An email poll has been circulated by the Trump Administration concerning Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) stimulus checks, as revealed by the individual who conceptualized the initiative.
Why It Matters
Earlier this year, James Fishback, the CEO of Azoria, an investment firm, suggested that the savings achieved through DOGE’s extensive federal cost-cutting initiatives should be distributed among the American populace. He proposed sending a tax refund check to every taxpayer, financed solely by a fraction of the overall savings generated by DOGE.
His proposal gained traction with DOGE’s head and President Donald Trump’s advisor Elon Musk, leading to President Trump’s expressed interest in the concept. This would mark the first instance of such payments being sent to U.S. households since the pandemic-related stimulus checks that began during the final stages of Trump’s first term.
What To Know
On X, formerly Twitter, Fishback shared a screenshot of an email titled “DOGE dividend check?” featuring an image of President Trump along with a Trump/Vance banner.
The email invites recipients to participate in a poll that asks: “Would you accept a DOGE dividend check signed by Trump?”
Newsweek has reached out to Fishback for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
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What Is A DOGE Dividend Check?
In a four-page proposal shared on X, after the scheduled termination of DOGE in July 2026, taxpaying households would receive a refund check calculated based on 20 percent of DOGE’s savings.
Fishback indicated that sending checks of $5,000 directly to American taxpayers would “restore public trust between taxpayers and their government, fulfilling this social contract and boosting tax morale.”
He clarified that the payments would only be allocated to “households that are net-payers of federal income tax,” meaning individuals who contribute more in taxes than they receive back, at least in terms of direct income taxes, excluding indirect methods like sales tax. According to the Pew Research Center, many Americans with an adjusted gross income below $40,000 annually do not pay federal income tax.
Will DOGE Dividend Checks Become A Reality?
The checks have yet to become official government policy. However, President Donald Trump has shown interest in the proposition.
Fishback previously informed Newsweek that he is engaging with lawmakers regarding these checks.
“I have ongoing discussions with individuals in the administration, and I’ve had conversations with several on the Hill,” Fishback stated in an interview recently. “I spoke with six U.S. senators this past week and will continue those discussions to gather feedback. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. The next step involves a bill, which will be introduced very soon.”
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump stated at an investment conference in Miami in February: “There’s even consideration for a new concept where we allocate 20 percent of the DOGE savings to American citizens, while the other 20 percent goes toward reducing debt.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February: “Politically, this would be advantageous for us, as it puts a check in everyone’s hands. But if we reflect on our core principles, fiscal responsibility is central to our stance as conservatives. With a $36 trillion federal debt and a significant deficit, we need to prioritize paying down that credit card.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy educator at the University of Tennessee at Martin, expressed to Newsweek: “Despite potential savings from recent cuts, issuing stimulus checks is an exceedingly costly endeavor for a government already burdened with debt and facing no pandemic-level emergency. I anticipate that legislators will look toward new proposals, like tax cuts and relaxed restrictions on certain government benefit programs, to divert attention from stimulus checks as the sole means of aiding Americans.”
What’s Next
No official policy announcement regarding DOGE dividend checks has been made by the government.
