Elon Musk has indicated he would consider supporting a proposal to distribute government efficiency savings to American taxpayers, responding to a plan dubbed the ‘DOGE Dividend’ on social media platform X.
The Proposal
James Fishback, CEO of Azoria and an outside adviser to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), proposed a tax refund program that would:
– Distribute $5,000 checks to American taxpayers
– Source funding exclusively from DOGE-generated savings
– Operate as a one-time dividend payment
Musk’s Response
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Will check with the President</p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=”https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1891967592048611532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>February 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s reaction was characteristically brief but notable:
– Initial response: “will check with the President”
– Follow-up clarification: “Obviously, the President is the Commander-in-Chief, so this is entirely up to him”
DOGE’s Current Impact
According to doge.gov, the department has already achieved significant results:
– Total savings: $55 billion
– Sources of savings include:
– Fraud detection and elimination
– Contract and lease cancellations/renegotiations
– Asset sales
– Grant cancellations
– Workforce reductions
– Programmatic changes
– Regulatory improvements
Key Developments
The proposal comes amid several significant DOGE-related developments:
– Vivek Ramaswamy’s recent departure from his planned role at the agency
– Fishback’s public expression of interest in filling the vacancy
– Recent invitation to Fort Knox by Senator Paul of Kentucky to inspect U.S. gold reserves
– Current holdings: 147 million troy ounces
– Represents 56% of federal gold reserves
Concerns and Criticisms
While DOGE has received praise for reducing federal spending, several concerns have emerged:
– Questions about the agency’s access to sensitive government data
– Oversight of cross-agency information sharing
– Implications for federal workforce stability
– Potential economic impact of proposed dividend
Implementation Challenges
The proposal faces several hurdles:
– Requires presidential approval
– Questions about inflationary impact
– Logistics of distribution
– Verification of available funds
The feasibility of this proposal remains under discussion, with both supporters and critics weighing in on its potential impact on government efficiency and economic stability.