Are US taxpayers getting a 'DOGE dividend' check? Here’s what we know about the idea floated by Trump and Musk
It’s worth noting that a dividend isn’t the same thing as a subsidy. A dividend is a distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders, while a stimulus check is a payment made by a government to its citizens in order to stimulate spending and boost consumer confidence during times of economic hardship.
Coming up short
As of May 12, the DOGE website indicates that it’s saved $170 billion through a “combination of asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings and workforce reductions.” The amount saved per taxpayer is $1,055.90.
While this falls far short of the $2 trillion goal, several news organizations have also reported that DOGE has overstated some of those savings and published errors and misleading information.
At the same time, DOGE could actually cost taxpayers $135 billion this fiscal year, according to an estimate from the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan research and advocacy group for the federal workforce. This includes the costs associated with re-hiring mistakenly fired workers, lost productivity and paid leave for thousands of federal workers.
“The $135 billion cost to taxpayers doesn’t include the expense of defending multiple lawsuits challenging DOGE’s actions, nor the impact of estimated lost tax collections due to staff cuts at the IRS,” reports CBS News.
Either way, not much has happened lately to carry the idea forward. A formal proposal has yet to be made in Congress. Even if Americans were to get a check, at this point, it seems unlikely to amount to much. Since DOGE has revised its savings from $2 trillion to $150 billion, 20% (or $30 billion) would mean a one-time DOGE dividend of around $380.
At the same time, as of May 12, tariffs are expected to cost American households around $1,200 in 2025, according to estimates by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. And that includes low-income households who wouldn’t be eligible for Fishback’s proposed DOGE dividend check in the first place.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
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