Musk said he will speak with Trump regarding the potential ‘DOGE Dividend.’
Billionaire Elon Musk said on Feb. 18 that he will discuss with President Donald Trump a proposal to send U.S. taxpayers rebate checks representing a portion of the money saved by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk is spearheading the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the federal government and reduce wasteful spending.
The DOGE leader took to his social media platform X to say he would check with Trump regarding the possibility of introducing a “DOGE Dividend.”
The SpaceX and Tesla founder issued the remarks in response to a suggestion from James Fishback, the CEO of investment firm Azoria, that a “tax refund check” be sent out to Americans after DOGE completes its work in July 2026.
The refund would be funded “exclusively with a portion of the total savings delivered by DOGE,” according to Fishback’s proposal.
DOGE aims to deliver $2 trillion in federal spending cuts during its 18-month lifespan.
Fishback’s proposal calls for 20 percent of the $2 trillion in savings—approximately $400 billion—to be returned to 79 million tax-paying households via direct payments.
That would amount to roughly $5,000 being returned to each of those 79 million households, according to Fishback.
He said the rebate “compensates American taxpayers for the egregious misuse and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars that DOGE has uncovered,” and encourages them to report “instances of waste, fraud, and abuse” to DOGE, thereby increasing the total amount DOGE saves.
In addition, Fishback said the rebate would help “restore public trust between taxpayers and their government” and increase “tax morale.”
It would also incentivize labor-force participation, the investor said, noting that the rebate would only be available to net payers of federal income tax in 2025.
Musk responded to Fishback’s proposal, saying he “will check with the president.”
The businessman also responded to another post on X regarding the potential tax refund, writing: “Obviously, the President is the Commander-in-Chief, so this is entirely up to him.”
