Following statements by Elon Musk at a rally in Wisconsin, debate resurfaces over a possible DOGE dividend check for US taxpayers. The discussion has been going on for days when a businessman proposed to Musk and Donald Trump that, if the federal government’s new cutback policy really worked, and saved billions of dollars, this money should be distributed in the form of stimulus checks among American taxpayers.
The “super-secretary” of the federal government noted that the decision to distribute a rebate of up to $5,000 is up to the president and Congress, linking it to savings identified by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk emphasized that reducing inefficient government spending would decrease inflationary pressure: “As government spending becomes more efficient and spending is reduced, the inflation tax is reduced.”
Are new stimulus checks coming? A little more about DOGE dividends
The idea of the DOGE dividend emerged in February, when Donald Trump expressed interest in returning some of the federal savings to taxpayers. James Fishback, CEO of Azoria, proposed on the X network that 20% of the cuts identified by DOGE go towards a direct refund. Musk then responded: “I’ll check with the president.”
In an interview with FOX News, Musk revealed that DOGE has identified $130 billion in savings, which is equivalent to $800 per taxpayer. For his part, Fishback, in dialogue with NewsNation, stated that progress is being made on a bill to implement the initiative: “It is not enough to identify the waste. The money must be returned.” Lawmakers described the talks as “very productive.”
These would not be stimulus checks, in their best-known form, such as those so beneficial that we had in the coronavirus pandemic, which some called the “COVID check”: the DOGE dividend would be supported by spending cuts.
Who would qualify to receive DOGE dividends?
Fishback stressed that it would only benefit net taxpayers—households that pay more taxes than they receive—excluding those who do not pay federal taxes. This, according to him, would reduce the inflationary impact by prioritizing savings over immediate consumption.
According to the Pew Research Center, 40% of Americans — with adjusted gross incomes under $40,000 — pay no federal taxes, which would limit the scope of the benefit. In addition, checks would be issued per household, including Social Security recipients who meet tax requirements.
In other words, 4 out of every 10 American households would not qualify to receive these stimulus checks. Despite the initial enthusiasm, doubts remain about who would receive the refund. Fishback insists that only net tax households would qualify, but no exact thresholds have been defined. It is also unclear whether the amount would be fixed or proportional to annual DOGE savings.
The original idea is $5,000 in a single payment for eligible households, but, as we have already inferred, it is not confirmed how much we are really talking about. Musk avoided specifying deadlines, although he mentioned that “there is an enormous amount of work to do.” Analysts warn that, without concrete legislative progress, the proposal could remain an electoral promise.
