As Elon Musk’s DOGE savings plan gains attention, Trump’s consideration of a $5,000 dividend for Americans has sparked debate. The proposal remains unofficial and faces numerous challenges.
Some online users are stating that taxpayers will get their money back as a result of billionaire Elon Musk’s plans to reduce government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump has made passing reference to the concept of delivering Americans $5,000 payments from the money DOGE saved in speeches, but he has not formally approved of this.
Neither the White House nor any news outlets mentioned Trump’s approval, according to PolitiFact. We reached out to the White House, but unfortunately, we did not hear back from them in time for publication.
As with the stimulus checks authorized in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, any proposal to distribute such funds to American citizens would have to be approved by Congress.
Azoria Partners’ CEO and co-founder, James Fishback, had suggested the idea on X and tagged Musk on February 14. Azoria Partners has hosted events at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
Fishback expressed:
American taxpayers deserve a ‘DOGE Dividend’: 20% the money that DOGE saves should be sent back to hard-working Americans as a tax refund check. It was their money in the first place!
At $2 trillion in DOGE savings and 78 million tax-paying households, this is a $5,000 refund… pic.twitter.com/mmgfWcZAOf
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) February 14, 2025
Nevertheless, it remains uncertain if DOGE will achieve sufficient cost savings to justify this approach.
According to the site’s “wall of receipts,” which apparently chronicles the cuts DOGE has made, the predicted savings totaling $55 billion do not tally up, as stated on Feb. 24 on the DOGE website.
There will be savings of around $8.6 billion from the list of government contracts and real estate that DOGE claims to have canceled. The other $46.4 billion has not been reported by DOGE.
The current savings fall far short of DOGE’s original target of slashing $2 trillion from the $6.8 trillion federal budget for the past fiscal year. A “best-case outcome” of $2 trillion was mentioned by Musk in January, and he also mentioned a “good shot” at saving $1 trillion.
An extended version of Fishback’s DOGE dividend scheme was disclosed in a post on February 18th, X. He suggested deferring the mailing of tax rebate checks until after July 2026, the expiration date of DOGE.
In his response to Fishback’s article, Musk stated that he will consult with the president.
Will check with the President
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 18, 2025
Twenty percent of the savings from the DOGE would be distributed to American residents, while the remaining twenty percent would be used to reduce the national debt, according to Trump, who shared this idea with reporters at the Future Investment Initiative Institute’s Priority Summit in Miami on February 19. The initiative is backed by Saudi Arabia.
On Air Force One later that day, a reporter inquired about the suggestion, and Trump responded, “I love it. A 20% dividend, so to speak, for the money that we’re saving by going after the waste and fraud and abuse and all the other things that are happening. I think it’s a great idea.”
But the fact that Trump signed an order to provide Americans with $5,000 stimulus payments is not “official.”
Luis Gochoco is a seasoned managing editor and writer with over a decade of experience covering politics, technology, gaming, and entertainment news. With a keen eye for breaking stories and in-depth analysis, he has established himself as a trusted voice in digital journalism. Luis is one of the key forces behind the success of GameNGuide, contributing to 12 million views through engaging and high-traffic content. He also played a pivotal role in generating 8 million views on International Business Times, shaping the platform’s technology and gaming coverage.
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