Could $5,000 DOGE Stimulus Checks Really Happen?
Could $5,000 DOGE Stimulus Checks Really Happen? Here's What We Know.
Mike Snider, USA TODAY Sat, February 22, 2025
Could President Trump issue DOGE stimulus checks? The idea of $5,000 refunds from the ongoing drive to reduce federal spending has been floated.
But don't add that bonus to your account just yet. That's because DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, ideally must meet its $2 trillion savings goal to make the kickback feasible. And that accomplishment is something even Elon Musk, the unofficial leader of DOGE, said may not be doable back in January.
Still, President Trump on Wednesday said the administration is considering giving 20% of "DOGE savings" to citizens. His comments came a day after Musk said he would confer with Trump about the idea.
Even if the idea of $5,000 stimulus checks evolves, Congress would need to approve a dispersal of funds to taxpayers. Here's what we know so far.
Where did the idea for $5,000 DOGE stimulus checks come from?
"Anti-woke" investor James Fishback, CEO and co-founder of Azoria Partners, suggested the idea on X on Feb. 14 and lobbied Musk on the idea of $5,000 checks – based on the $2 trillion in savings accrued from DOGE – leaving the rest to pay down the national debt.
"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," Fishback posted.
"@ElonMusk, let’s do this! This is how we rebuild trust in our government," he said.
In discussing the possible dividend on CNN on Saturday, Fishback said, the potential for a check of up to $5,000 would "incentivize Americans to report waste, fraud and abuse in their own community. Why? Because the more that DOGE saves, the bigger their check will be."
How would $5,000 stimulus checks happen? Who would get them?
Back in 2020, Congress passed – and President Trump signed – a $2 trillion bipartisan stimulus package to address the economic struggles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The package included $1,200 checks to qualifying individuals and $2,400 for most married couples filing jointly with an extra $500 for each qualifying child under age 17.
Those stimulus checks were sent to persons who had filed tax returns in the two previous years or received Social Security or veterans’ benefits.
Also included: funding for small business loans and grants, and additional weekly unemployment insurance payments.
What has President Trump said about DOGE dividend checks?
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