On February 11, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Elon Musk and Musk’s son, X Æ A-12, in the Oval Office. In this meeting, Musk discussed plans to connect with Trump about a proposal to send tax refund checks to Americans. This idea is based on savings identified by the Department of Government Efficiency, an advisory group that Musk leads.
In a post on X, Musk mentioned he would “check with the President.” This response followed a suggestion from James Fishback, CEO of Azoria investment firm. Fishback proposed that Trump could issue a “DOGE Dividend,” distributing refunds funded by savings from a campaign aimed at cutting costs.
Musk aims to reduce federal spending by $2 trillion from a total budget of about $6.75 trillion for the last fiscal year. Fishback suggested taking 20% of these savings, which would equal around $400 billion, and distributing it to taxpayers. This could mean about $5,000 per household if realized.
Fishback argued that when significant issues occur in the private sector, customers often receive refunds. He believes the government should do the same for taxpayers, given the savings that DOGE has highlighted.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Trump signed stimulus checks sent to millions of taxpayers. This marked the first time a president’s name appeared on IRS payments.
DOGE claims to have saved about $55 billion through its initiatives. However, recent news suggests the actual savings might be much lower. According to Bloomberg, the DOGE website only accounts for $16.6 billion of that figure. Additionally, the New York Times reported that DOGE mistakenly claimed an $8 billion saving on a federal contract, which was actually $8 million.
Despite facing legal challenges, a federal judge recently declined to stop DOGE from accessing federal computer systems. The ongoing litigation continues, but for now, DOGE is still active in pursuing its goals.
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