From PJMedia.com
On Tuesday, Elon Musk responded to a proposal from James Fishback, CEO of Azoria, regarding a unique idea: the “DOGE Dividend.” This initiative aims to issue a $5,000 tax refund check to approximately 79 million American families, funded by a projected total savings of $2 trillion from DOGE. Fishback emphasizes that this dividend would not only compensate taxpayers for the misuse of their dollars but also help restore trust in government accountability.
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Fishback’s argument is compelling: the DOGE Dividend represents a social contract between taxpayers and their government, a much-needed refund given the egregious waste uncovered. As Fishback puts it, “It’s high time for the federal government to refund money back to taxpayers.”
This isn’t just about getting a check in the mail; it’s about reinstating fiscal responsibility and empowering citizens. With daily savings of about $1 billion from DOGE, this could be a substantial catalyst for economic rejuvenation — boosting spending and helping many who are currently burdened by debt. There are, of course, inflationary concerns, but the bottom line is that our money was mispent and we should get some of it back.
Musk was impressed by the idea and said he’d bring it up to President Trump. Trump has responded. He announced on Wednesday while delivering a speech in Miami at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute, that he is exploring the “DOGE dividend” proposal.
“[We are considering] a new concept where we give 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% goes to paying down debt,” he said. “Because the numbers are incredible, Elon. 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.”
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Trump continued, “And pay down debt, which is, if you look at value, if it were a real estate balance sheet, the debt is tiny, but we still want to pay it down. Doesn’t matter. We don’t look at it as a piece of real estate. It’s America. We’re going to get it down through intelligence, hard work, and, as Elon said, a word called ‘caring.’ You have to care.”
Related: Report: Trump Is About to Fire Thousands of IRS Agents
Trump added, “By doing this, Americans will tell us where there’s waste. They’ll be reporting it themselves. They participate in the process of saving money. So many of the men and women in this room, as an example, they pay tremendous amounts of taxes.”
BREAKING: President Trump announces he is exploring a DOGE dividend, where American taxpayers will receive checks with money saved by DOGE.
“[We are considering] a new concept where we give 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% goes to paying down debt.”
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 19, 2025
Naturally, many on the left are against the idea of a “DOGE Dividend.”
My favorite complaint comes from Ed Kilgore over at New York Magazine:
For one thing, Fishback’s scheme would apparently distribute DOGE Dividends only to households with net federal income tax liability. Thanks to low incomes and refundable tax credits, nearly half of U.S. households […] would not qualify.
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Kilgore argues that DOGE is only generating savings by axing programs that benefit low-income Americans, which of course isn’t true, and therefore low-income Americans who don’t pay any taxes at all should be the ones who get the checks.
In the end, just as always, the left only likes giving tax cuts or refunds to people who don’t pay taxes. The idea that only people who pay taxes should be the ones who get tax refunds is apparently too offensive to the political left.
I think the real problem liberals have with a “DOGE Dividend” is that, whatever form it takes, they don’t want people getting checks courtesy of DOGE because it may boost public opinion of DOGE.
All articles possibly rephrased by AI or InfoArmed.com