Sending DOGE dividend checks directly to Americans a 'great idea', Trump says

Carson Swick, The Baltimore Sun on Feb 20, 2025

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President Donald Trump says he’s a fan of Elon Musk’s idea to send Department of Government Efficiency savings directly to the American people.

Speaking at a Saudi-sponsored investment conference in Miami Wednesday, Trump said his administration is considering a plan to give 20% of savings produced by DOGE to the American people, while another 20% would be put toward paying down the $36.5 trillion national debt.

“We’re considering giving 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% to paying down the debt,” Trump said.

The president argued such an initiative would encourage people to report wasteful government spending to DOGE.

“They’ll be reporting it themselves,” Trump said. “They participate in the process of saving us money.”

The policy suggestion seems to have come from Azoria CEO James Fishback, who on Tuesday suggested the world’s richest man should launch a “DOGE Dividend” complete with checks to Americans containing the savings. Azoria describes itself as a “free-thinking investment firm” that values “meritocracy over mediocrity.”

Musk replied simply to Fishback’s X post: “Will check with the president.”

Later on Wednesday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he “loves” the plan and thinks it’s a “great idea,” according to a White House pool report.

However, DOGE savings checks could be divisive in other conservative circles.

Blake “Brick Suit” Marnell, a San Diego native who became something of a MAGA celebrity during Trump’s 2020 and 2024 campaigns for attending hundreds of rallies in his border wall-inspired suit, said he was against the proposal because it could reduce DOGE’s intended impact.

“Personally, I’m not in favor of this unless the yearly budget is balanced,” Marnell wrote on X, where he has more than 282,000 followers. “Use all D.O.G.E. generated savings to lower the yearly budget deficit first. Once the deficit is eliminated, we can talk about dividends.”

Recent DOGE activities

The impact of DOGE has been felt across the federal government in recent weeks, with the organization claiming to have saved $55 billion during Trump’s presidency so far. Savings are achieved through “fraud detection/deletion, contract/lease cancellations, contract/lease renegotiations, asset sales, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes, and regulatory savings,” according to DOGE’s website.

DOGE has primarily targeted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which ranks as the top agency for savings measured in both total contracts and contract savings proportionate to budget.

According to Musk, past contracts uncovered by DOGE include:

•$59 million spent on migrants at luxury hotels in New York

•$17 million to provide tax policy advice to Liberia

•$2.3 million contract for a DEI training course for soldiers

•$182,000 for an Anthony Fauci museum exhibit

Concerns over DOGE’s access to Social Security Administration (SSA) data via the U.S. Treasury’s central payment system prompted lawsuits and were a major factor in SSA Acting Commissioner Michelle King’s resignation on Monday.

Musk has alleged fraud in the Social Security Administration, as he claims millions of people over the age of 100 are listed as alive in its database. Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor who led the SSA for nearly a year under former President Joe Biden, has disputed Musk’s fraud claims.

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