The person behind the idea to provide American citizens $5,000 “DOGE dividend” stimulus checks has defined Social Security recipient eligibility.
Why This Matters
In attempts to reduce the size of the government, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has divided several federal agencies and is in charge of cutting the running expenses of the administration.
Using government savings, James Fishback, CEO of the Azoria investing company, has suggested sending $5,000 payments to American citizens. Though it is still under development, the proposal seeks to distribute some of these savings under support from President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
What You Need to Know
Fishback, the creator of the idea, recently addressed issues about Social Security recipients among growing worries about eligibility.
Writing “You say a DOGE refund check goes to every tax paying household!” a user on X—formerly Twitter asked Fishback for clarification. Suppose my wife and I are both taxpayers submitting a joint return while now receiving Social Security? Would we each get a refund?”
Fishback said, “Under our proposal, your household would get the refund.” This clarifies that, including individuals receiving Social Security payments, the suggested $5,000 DOGE stimulus would be distributed per household instead of to each individual taxpayer.
Benefits from Social Security are not inherently tax-free. The IRS states that up to 85 percent of a taxpayer’s Social Security benefits may be liable to federal income tax if their aggregate income—which includes Social Security, wages, and other income—exceeds particular criteria. Some Social Security claimants so pay federal income tax and would be eligible for the planned DOGE stimulus based on Fishback’s criteria. Fishback’s remarks, however, imply that eligibility relies more on filing and paying federal income taxes than on merely getting Social Security payments.
Though Trump has indicated interest in it, the concept is not official government policy.
Fishback previously stated, meanwhile, that everybody who pays federal income taxes and files a federal income tax return qualifies.
“You would get a DOGE dividend check if you submit a federal income tax return and pay federal income tax, therefore implying that you worked. Fishback said on Steve Ram’s podcast, “That person and their household would benefit from this payment.”
Recent fiscal data show that promised savings from Musk’s department have not materialized, hence the DOGE payments may suffer a setback.
Driven by a 7 percent increase in expenditure compared to the same month last year, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the government deficit climbed by 5 percent in February.
The DOGE stimulus project suggests setting aside additional 20 percent to lower the national debt and another 20 percent for taxpayers from departmental savings. Over 18 months, the proposal projects DOGE could save $2 trillion, allowing $400 billion to be paid to almost 79 million taxpayers—equating to $5,000 per each recipient.
The most recent CBO statistics, however, begs questions regarding the viability of these savings. The federal government borrowed $1.1 trillion in the first five months of Fiscal Year 2025, including $308 billion alone in February.
This continuous borrowing pattern calls into question the efficiency of DOGE’s cost-cutting initiatives as well as the possibility of realizing the expected savings required to support the stimulus payments.
According to a fresh Quinnipiac University poll taken on Thursday, most people agree DOGE’s actions are negatively impacting the nation. The study shows that while 40 percent of respondents believe Musk and DOGE are helping, 54 percent of voters believe they are hurting.
The study also shows a clear political divide: 82% of Republicans feel they are benefiting the nation, while 94% of Democrats say they are harming it.
What Individuals Said
At an investment conference in Miami in February, Donald Trump stated, “There’s even under consideration a new concept, where we give 20 percent of the Doge savings to American citizens, and 20 percent goes to paying down debt.”
James Fishback states, “Long-term this will transform the economy into a lean, free market that allows anyone to work hard, earn a living and pay taxes knowing that they will be spent responsibly, honestly and with maximum efficiency.”
What’s Next
Fishback’s suggestion is not clear as official government policy or when Americans could get the payments.