Trump Floats Plan to Hand (Some) DOGE Cash Back to Americans
The idea was first proposed by an investment firm CEO on X.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump revealed Wednesday he was considering an idea to send “dividend” payments to Americans thanks to the savings claimed by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
While speaking at the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami Beach, the president touted the prospect of funneling 20 percent of the savings he expects DOGE to achieve over the next few years into stimulus checks to be distributed back to taxpayers.
“There’s even under consideration a new concept where we give 20 percent of the DOGE savings to American citizens, and 20 percent goes to paying down debt,” Trump said. “The numbers are incredible, Elon—so many millions, billions, hundreds of billions.”
(L-R) Jared Kushner, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Elon Musk, fomer CEO of Google Eric Schmidt and Governor of Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia Yasir Al-Rumayyan listen to US President Donald Trump speak at FII PRIORITY Miami 2025 Summit (Future Investment Initiative) at the Faena Hotel & Forum in Miami Beach, Florida, February 19, 2025.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images
The idea was first proposed by James Fishback, CEO of investment firm Azoria, on X Tuesday, where he published a report detailing how the dividends would work.
In his proposal, Fishback suggested distributing roughly $5,000 per household to around 79 million households paying federal income tax. The suggested sum is based on Musk’s bold declaration that DOGE will be able to cut $2 trillion from federal budgets, meaning that $400 billion (20 percent) will be distributed back to taxpayers starting July 2026—Trump’s deadline for DOGE to finish its work.
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Musk replied to Fishback’s proposal on X saying that he’ll run it past the president.
President Trump and @ElonMusk should announce a ‘DOGE Dividend’—a tax refund check sent to every taxpayer, funded exclusively with a portion of the total savings delivered by DOGE. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/p5AZZj3Ttc
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) February 18, 2025
The billionaire has publicly retracted the $2 trillion estimate, disclosing in a January interview with political strategist Mark Penn that the figure was simply a “best-case outcome” and that he believes he only has a “good shot” at cutting half that.
Moreover, DOGE’s savings haven’t been all that conclusive in its first few weeks of operation. A “wall of receipts” published by the panel claimed $55 billion in savings so far—but the total of its figures amounts to just a third of that number.
In a particularly egregious example, DOGE claimed apparent credit for the closure of two federal buildings that were shuttered under Joe Biden.
The organization also incorrectly stated this week that it saved $8 billion on a terminated contract for DEI consulting—though the figure was actually worth a fraction of that at $8 million.
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