Should Americans anticipate receiving a check from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)?
President Donald Trump and tech magnate Elon Musk have shown their support for issuing checks of approximately $5,000 to taxpayers in what is referred to as a “DOGE dividend.” This concept gained attention after James Fishback, CEO of Azoria investment firm, posted a four-page proposal on social media platform X last month, urging Musk to distribute checks to taxpayers based on the $2 trillion in cuts promised by DOGE.
Trump expressed his endorsement of the idea in remarks made to reporters last month.
“I love it. A 20% dividend, if you will, for the savings we achieve by tackling waste, fraud, and abuse, along with various ongoing issues. I believe it’s an excellent proposal,” he remarked, noting that the payments “could be substantial.”
“If it’s 20%, we’d be able to return a significant amount of money to taxpayers,” he emphasized.
Nonetheless, Fishback’s proposal indicates that there may be restrictions on who qualifies for the payments, according to AL.com.
The checks would be directed solely to Americans who are net-income taxpayers, as per the proposal. NBC News has reported that this implies low-income households may not reap the benefits from these potential payments.
Fishback’s plan suggests that the federal government would allocate 20% of DOGE’s savings to approximately 79 million U.S. households that paid federal income taxes in 2025. A Tax Policy Center analysis indicates that around 40% of households, equating to about 72.5 million, did not pay any income tax in 2022.
The amount each household might receive would likely be influenced by the savings DOGE achieves for the federal government.
If DOGE accomplishes its goal of realizing $2 trillion in total savings, Americans could potentially receive checks of roughly $5,000 per household, as suggested by Fishback.
However, significant financial relief for Americans is improbable in the near future since any stimulus must receive Congressional approval first. According to the proposal, DOGE needs to finalize its spending cuts, which are expected to be completed by July 2026.
Your support is vital to our journalism. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
