Elon Musk has entertained the idea of a DOGE dividend, which would give ,000 checks to American taxpayers, funded by government savings.

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Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

U.S.

Musk weighs $5,000 DOGE checks for Americans, but says deficit is priority

Wednesday

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Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Jack Henry (Video Editor)

Elon Musk entertained the idea of a DOGE dividend, which would give $5,000 checks to American taxpayers, funded by savings from government waste reduction. The checks could be distributed in summer 2026, but Musk stresses that balancing the federal budget is DOGE’s top priority.
DOGE has already saved $55 billion and aims to cut $1 trillion from the national deficit, which the Congressional Budget Office projects will reach $1.9 trillion in 2025.

Musk has emphasized urgency of controlling the deficit, suggesting the country is on a trajectory to go bankrupt.

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Elon Musk has floated the idea of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dividend, a proposal that would send $5,000 checks to American taxpayers. The payments would be funded by money DOGE expects to save through its efforts to reduce government waste and fraud.

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Potential payout in summer 2026

The checks could be distributed to U.S. taxpayers as early as the summer of 2026, following a thorough review by DOGE. While Musk said he will share the dividend idea with President Donald Trump, Musk stressed that balancing the federal budget remains DOGE’s top priority.

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The DOGE dividend plan

The idea of the DOGE dividend originated from a letter by James Fishback, who outlined how DOGE could return taxpayer savings back to the people.

Fishback proposed that DOGE takes 20% of the $2 trillion dollars DOGE initially wanted to save, and refund it to 79 million U.S. households as a tax refund check.

The goal, Fishback said, is to compensate taxpayers for the misuse of their hard-earned tax dollars.

Musk responds to the proposal

In response to Fishback’s letter posted on X, Musk said he would “check with the president” about the idea.

Will check with the President
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 18, 2025

However, Musk emphasized DOGE’s priority on budget balancing in a separate post on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 19, following other discussions on X about the proposed $5,000 payouts.

DOGE’s focus on budget deficit reduction

DOGE’s website said it has saved an estimated $55 billion through fraud detection, renegotiating federal contracts and workforce reductions.

In a Fox News interview, Musk said he has set a long-term goal of reducing the deficit by $1 trillion, stressing that controlling the deficit is vital to prevent the U.S. from going bankrupt.

“The overall goal is to try to get one trillion dollars out of the deficit,” Musk said. “If it’s not under control, America will go bankrupt. This is very important for people to understand. A country is no different than an individual. If an individual overspends, an individual can go bankrupt and so can a country.”

The U.S. deficit outlook

Before President Donald Trump took office, the Congressional Budget Office projected the 2025 deficit would rise to $1.9 trillion. As of this fiscal year, which began in October, the deficit is already at $711 billion.

Here is an excerpt from the report:

“In CBO’s projections, the federal budget deficit is $1.9 trillion this year, and federal debt rises to 118 percent of GDP in 2035. Economic growth slows and inflation declines over the next two years; both remain moderate after 2026.”

A continuing deficit impacts the national debt, which stood at $36.22 trillion in December 2024. Interest payments on that debt have recently exceeded Defense Department outlays, as reported by the Council on Foreign Relations, a political think tank.

The U.S. deficit results from the federal government’s spending exceeding the amount it collects in revenue. In fiscal year 2024, the government spent $1.83 trillion more than it collected.

Tags: budget, DOGE, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Federal Reserve, Government funding, Tax returns, taxpayer funds, U.S. Congressional Budget Office, X

[Karah Rucker]

ELON MUSK FLOATED THE IDEA OF A “DOGE DIVIDEND” –

A PROPOSED 5 THOUSAND DOLLAR CHECK FOR AMERICAN TAXPAYERS –

PAID FOR BY THE MONEY DOGE EXPECTS TO SAVE THROUGH ITS SLASHING OF GOVERNMENT WASTE AND FRAUD.

THE PROPOSED CHECK –

WOULD POTENTIALLY BE SENT OUT TO AMERICANS IN THE SUMMER OF 2026 – AFTER DOGE COMPLETES ITS REVIEW.

AND WHILE MUSK SAYS HE’S SHARING THE IDEA WITH THE PRESIDENT –

HE ALSO SAYS “BALANCING THE BUDGET” REMAINS THE TEAM’S PRIORITY.

THE PREMISE OF THE DOGE DIVIDEND STARTED HERE –

A LETTER FROM “JAMES FISHBACK” – EXPLAINING HOW DOGE COULD DELIVER ITS SAVED TAXPAYER DOLLARS – BACK TO THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER.

FISHBACK SAYS “HERE’S HOW THE DIVIDEND WORKS:

DOGE IS TARGETING 2 TRILLION DOLLARS IN TOTAL SAVINGS.

TAKE 20 PERCENT OF DOGE’S TOTAL SAVING – 400 BILLION DOLLARS – AND RETURN IT TO THE 79 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS THAT WILL BE TAXPAYERS IN 2025 AS A TAX-REFUND CHECK CALLED THE DOGE DIVIDEND.”

FISHBACK SAYS THE BENEFITS OF THE DIVIDEND –

IS IT COMPENSATES AMERICAN TAXPAYERS FOR THE “EGREGIOUS MISUSE AND ABUSE OF THEIR HARD-EARNED TAX DOLLARS.”

ELON MUSK RESPONDED TO FISHBACK’S LETTER POSTED ON X –

SAYING “WILL CHECK WITH THE PRESIDENT.”

WHILE THE IDEA OF A TAX REFUND USING DOGE DOLLARS IS BEING BOUNCED AROUND –

ELON MUSK CLARIFIED DOGE’S TOP PRIORITY IN ANOTHER POST WEDNESDAY MORNING.

REPLYING TO AN X USER SHARING HIS THOUGHTS ON THE 5-K PAYOUT –

MUSK SAID “WE NEED TO BALANCE THE BUDGET AS FIRST PRIORITY.

DOGE SAYS ITS ALREADY SAVED AN ESTIMATED 55 BILLION DOLLARS AS OF MONDAY.

THE SAVINGS COME FROM FRAUD DETECTION AND ELIMINATION – RENEGOTIATING OR CANCELING FEDERAL CONTRACTS AND LEASES – AND WORKFORCE REDUCTIONS ACCORDING TO ITS WEBSITE.

SPEAKING TO FOX NEWS’ SEAN HANNITY –

MUSK SAID DOGE’S LONG TERM GOAL IS TO CUT 1 TRILLION DOLLARS IN SPENDING – SHARING WHY HE FEELS REDUCING THE DEFICIT IS AN URGENT MATTER.

“The overall goal is to try to get one trillion dollars out of the deficit. Itf it’s not under control, america will go bankrupt. This is very important for people to understand. A country is no different than an individual. If an individual overspends, an individual can go bankrupt and so can a country.”

PRIOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP TAKING OFFICE –

THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE – IN ITS “BUDGET AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR 2025” – PROJECTED THE DEFICIT WILL RISE TO 1.9 TRILLION DOLLARS THIS YEAR –

BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING.

SO FAR THIS FISCAL YEAR – WHICH BEGAN IN OCTOBER –

THE DEFICIT IS ALREADY AT 711 BILLION DOLLARS.

THANKS FOR WATCHING OUR NEWS UPDATE –

FOR MORE TREASURY DATA ON THE NATION’S DEFICIT AND DEBT –

YOU CAN FIND THE INFORMATION IN OUR NEWS ARTICLE –

WHICH YOU CAN READ BY DOWNLOADING OUR SAN MOBILE APP –

OR BY VISITING SAN DOT COM.

Bias Summary

Elon Musk is considering sending $5,000 checks to U.S. taxpayers using savings from the Department of Government Efficiency after its expected disbandment in 2026.
James Fishback proposed a "DOGE Dividend" plan, which could distribute $400 billion to 79 million U.S. households if DOGE meets its $2 trillion savings goal.
Some users on X expressed concerns that the DOGE savings should be used to pay off the national debt instead of issuing tax refunds, highlighting inflation risks.

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Bias Comparison

Media outlets on the left frame Elon Musk’s initiative of a $5,000 “DOGE Dividend” as commendable, emphasizing taxpayer savings of $55 billion.

Media outlets in the center highlight skepticism from X users regarding the prioritization of DOGE funds for tax refunds over national debt reduction, infusing concerns about inflation.

Media outlets on the right underscore Musk’s focus on budget balancing, claiming potential bankruptcy due to overspending, showcasing a more serious tone about fiscal responsibility.

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