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Is a new $5,000 per household stimulus check on the way? That's the question many U.S. taxpayers are asking after a proposal that, while not yet approved, has captured national attention. The possible "DOGE dividend" or "DOGE stimulus check" is not yet a reality, but it continues to be a topic of conversation in Washington and on social media.
The idea was originally pushed by Azoria Investment CEO James Fishback, who argues that taxpayers deserve a 20% refund of the savings generated by the Department of Government Efficiency Agency (DOGE), led so far by Elon Musk. "It's their money in the first place," Fishback said. According to his calculations, if DOGE reaches its goal of saving $2 trillion, this would amount to a $5,000 rebate per household, benefiting some 78 million taxpaying households.
President Donald Trump was also ive of the initiative. In recent remarks, he said the payments "could be significant," highlighting the value of returning some of the funds saved through reduced waste, fraud and abuse in public spending.
However, the plan faces several major hurdles. To begin with, any kind of stimulus like this would need congressional approval. In addition, the $5,000 payment would only be possible if DOGE achieves the full $2 trillion in cuts. To date, reports indicate that only $160 billion in savings have been achieved, which would amount to about $993 per taxpayer. This makes it clear that there is still a long way to go before the original target is reached.
Some remain very optimistic
Despite these challenges, Fishback remains confident that the checks will eventually arrive. In a recent interview with Chris Cuomo, quoted by USA Today, he said: "Yes, I really think this is going to happen. I've been on Capitol Hill the last two weeks meeting with of the House and Senate. I'm very optimistic."
In turn, Yahoo! Finance reported that financial expert Andrew Lokenauth noted that historically, 75% of pending initiatives continue even when there are changes in government leadership. This suggests that Elon Musk's possible exit from DOGE at the end of May would not necessarily mean the end of the project.
There is a precedent
It is important to note that the payments, if they were to materialize, would be directed only to households that pay more in taxes than they receive back, and would be issued per household, not per individual.
Although the DOGE stimulus has not yet ed the discussion phase, the precedent of checks sent during the covid-19 pandemic keeps hope alive in many households. At that time, three rounds of payments were approved: $1,200 in March 2020, $600 in December of the same year and $1,400 in March 2021.
For now, there is no official date for the arrival of the payments, but May brings with it a key update: the idea is still alive, and its future will depend on progress on DOGE cuts and Congress' willingness to turn the proposal into law.