What happened to DOGE stimulus checks? How the idea originated and where things stand now

 Americans continue to wonder about the possibility of DOGE stimulus checks as the newly formed government agency, unofficially led to billionaire Elon Musk, continues on its quest to reduce government spending by conducting mass layoffs of federal employees and other cost-saving measures.

The $5,000 dividend checks would come from the claimed savings that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), accrues on the path to its savings goal of $2 trillion, President Donald Trump said in February.

"We're considering giving 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% to paying down the debt," Trump said in a during the Saudi-sponsored FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami Beach last month.

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Congress would ultimately determine whether or not U.S. taxpayers receive the $5,000 stimulus checks. Here is how the idea for checks came about and where things stand now.

How did the idea of 'DOGE dividend' checks come about?

James Fishback, CEO of the investment firm, Azoria, pitched the "DOGE dividend" concept in February, saying on X that it would be "a tax refund check sent to every taxpayer, funded exclusively with a portion of the total savings delivered by DOGE."

In response to Fishback's idea, which he developed a proposal for, Musk said, "Will check with the President."

According to Fishback's proposal, the tax refund checks would be sent out after the expiration of DOGE in July 2026.

"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 said in a separate X post. "At $2 trillion in DOGE savings and 78 million tax-paying households, this is a $5,000 refund per household, with the remaining used to pay down the national debt."

"@ElonMusk, let’s do this! This is how we rebuild trust in our government."

What have lawmakers said about DOGE stimulus checks? House Republicans raise concerns of debt, inflation

Some lawmakers have spoken against the stimulus checks, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. The Louisiana Republican rolled his eyes when the idea of the stimulus checks was met with applause by the audience at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference last month.

"Politically, that would be great for us, you know, because everybody gets a check," Johnson said to the crowd. "But if you think about our core principles, right, fiscal responsibility is what we do as conservatives. That's our brand and we have a $36 trillion federal debt. We have a giant deficit that we're contending with. I think we need to pay down the credit card, right?"

Other lawmakers, including Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-UT, and Rep. Riley Moore, R-WV, have also voiced skepticism about the stimulus checks.

“To me, it makes more sense to put whatever we save towards the deficit, but it’s a conversation that’s worth having,” Maloy said, per NOTUS. “My fear is that when we send stimulus checks, it causes inflation, which we’re trying to get down right now. If we save money, we should actually save it."

“It really depends on what the savings are for me,” Moore told NOTUS. “If there are a lot, it might make a lot of sense to bring some of that money back to the taxpayers of the country. But we’ve got to put a lot of that towards the debt.”

Public opinion about a stimulus check

Washington, D.C.-based researcher J.L. Partners conducted a "DOGE Dividend poll" that surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,001 registered voters about the stimulus checks from Feb. 24-25.

A majority of respondents signaled support for a DOGE check. Of the entire sample, 46% strongly supported the one-time $5,000 checks, while 21% somewhat supported the idea. Only 7% of respondents strongly opposed them, according to the poll.

Republican voters (60%) favored the checks more than Democrat (39%) and Independent (39%) voters, the poll shows. Republicans, ages 18 to 49, and employed Americans were most likely to support the DOGE dividend, according to the poll.

Where do things stand now with the DOGE stimulus checks?

Whether or not the stimulus checks happen is in limbo, as House Republicans' chilly attitudes seem to have slowed the idea's momentum.

For context, with Trump in the White House and majorities in both chambers of Congress, Republicans generally face less resistance to pass GOP-preferred initiatives in the current legislative climate. But it is unclear how a stimulus check would progress through Congress, if at all.

Stimulus payments were sent out during Trump's last term, but only after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Congress passed – and President Trump signed – a $2 trillion bipartisan stimulus package to address the economic struggles caused by pandemic.

The package consisted of $1,200 checks going out to qualifying individuals and $2,400 being sent to most married couples filing jointly, with an extra $500 for each qualifying child under age 17. These stimulus checks were sent to U.S. taxpayers who filed their returns in the two previous years or received Social Security or veterans’ benefits. Funding for small business loans and grants, and additional weekly unemployment insurance payments, were also included during this endeavor.