WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are considering a proposal to issue checks to taxpayers based on savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The “DOGE dividends” checks made their way to Musk via X, and the billionaire said he’d check with the President on it.
Trump seemingly endorsed the idea last week while at a conference in Miami, suggesting that 20% of DOGE’s savings could be returned to American citizens, with another 20% allocated to reducing national debt.
“There’s even under consideration a new concept where we give 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% goes to paying down debt because the numbers are incredible, Elon,” the President said. “So many billions of dollars, billions, hundreds of billions, and we’re thinking about giving 20% back to the American citizens and 20% down to pay back debt and pay down debt.”
“Well this is all going to be worked on through the reconciliation process with Congress that’s going underway right now,” Miller said.
The potential amount returned to taxpayers depends on the actual savings DOGE achieves. $5000 was suggested based on $2 trillion worth of cuts. The department claims to have saved $55 billion so far, though that figure is already being debated.
Meanwhile, the federal workforce continues to face significant cuts. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reportedly ordered the military to prepare for an 8% budget reduction annually over the next five years. The military has a projected $850 billion budget in 2025, meaning the cuts would end up being a multibillion-dollar figure. The IRS is also set to lay off around 6,000 employees, targeting recent hires. The agency has added more than 20,000 people since 2020, with the layoffs bringing its workforce back to 2023 levels.
The downsizing efforts have drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, expressed concern about the impact on her state.
“I’m very concerned about the impact on the state of Maine, on everything from our national parks to biomedical research. So this is a big problem,” Sen. Collins told reporters.
Senator Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, criticized DOGE’s approach.
“Well DOGE really stands for the Department of Gutting Everything. From healthcare to education to environmental programs. And it’s absolutely something that people are going to need to stand up and fight against,” Sen. Markey said.
New Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that the administration’s priority would be addressing the deficit when asked about the potential for taxpayer checks.
