Trump says he could give 20% of DOGE savings back to Americans
Al Jazeera2 days
Trump Backs $5K 'DOGE Dividend' Plan for Taxpayers
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Above: US Pres. Donald Trump departs Air Force One at Miami International Airport on Feb. 19, 2025. Image copyright: Joe Raedle/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
US Pres. Donald Trump on Wednesday said his administration is considering distributing 20% of savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) directly to citizens, allocating another 20% to cut the national debt.
The proposal reportedly originated from Azoria Partners CEO James Fishback, who suggested sending $5K checks to some 79M tax-paying households based on DOGE achieving its targeted $2T in total savings by July 2026.
DOGE, led by Elon Musk, has claimed to have achieved $55B in savings through various cost-cutting measures, including terminating consulting contracts and identifying misplaced funds in federal agencies.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
The DOGE dividend would be a great way to reimburse taxpayers whose money has been misused, creating an innovative partnership between citizens and government to eliminate waste while rewarding fiscal responsibility. The program would incentivize labor force participation and restore public trust in government spending.
Anti-Trump narrative
The so-called DOGE dividend faces insurmountable obstacles. With the federal government running deficits, the plan appears legally dubious. It would unfairly exclude nearly half of American households from receiving payments. And it would increase inflation — the opposite of Trump's stated goal.
Narrative C
Despite Trump's claims of identifying "tens of billions" in government waste through DOGE, actual documented savings amount to only about $6B annually, with most coming from a contested NIH grant restriction. DOGE's social media posts reveal significantly smaller savings, mainly from cutting diversity programs.
