House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pushed back against a proposal to send $5,000 checks to Americans using savings from the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling the idea politically appealing but fiscally irresponsible.
Johnson’s comments, made during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, highlighted the growing debate over how to allocate the billions in savings uncovered by DOGE under Elon Musk’s leadership.
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The idea of a “DOGE dividend” was first proposed by James Fishback, CEO of an investment firm, who suggested that 20% of federal savings through DOGE should be returned to citizens as direct rebates. Fishback estimated that $2 trillion in savings could translate to $5,000 checks for American households.
Elon Musk, who leads DOGE, responded to the proposal on X, saying he would “check with the president.” President Donald Trump later expressed openness to the idea during an investment conference in Miami, stating that 20% of the savings could go to citizens while another 20% could be used to reduce the national debt.
“There’s even under consideration a new concept where we give 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens, and 20% goes to paying down the debt, because the numbers are incredible,” Trump said.
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Despite the proposal’s popularity, Johnson argued that using DOGE savings for direct payments would undermine conservative principles of fiscal responsibility.
“Well, look, politically that would be great for us—you send everybody a check,” Johnson said. “But if you think about our core principles, fiscal responsibility is what we do as conservatives. That’s our brand. We have a $36 trillion federal debt. We have a giant deficit that we’re contending with. I think we need to pay down the credit card.”
Johnson’s remarks reflect a broader tension within the Republican Party over how to balance immediate benefits for taxpayers with long-term fiscal discipline. While some conservatives support the idea of returning savings to citizens, others, like Johnson, argue that the priority should be reducing the national debt.
Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett also criticized the proposal during a Thursday segment on ABC News, questioning the impact of $5,000 checks on struggling Americans.
READ: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul Exposes Spending Hypocrisy In Fiery Speech
“So no, we are not in the business of giving out money, and honestly, I don’t know what $5,000 will do for you if you are unable to find a job—because I am telling people, we are heading towards a recession because the United States government is the 15th-largest employer in the world,” Crockett said.
As the debate over the “DOGE dividend” continues, the Trump administration faces a critical decision: Should savings be returned directly to taxpayers, used to reduce the national debt, or allocated to other priorities like border security and defense?
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