House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., distanced himself from a proposal championed by President Donald Trump and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk that would use savings from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to distribute stimulus checks to Americans, The Hill reported.
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday, Johnson addressed the idea when questioned by Newsmax host Rob Finnerty, expressing skepticism despite its political appeal.
"Well, look. I mean, politically that would be great for us, you know, it gives everybody a check," Johnson said. "But if you think about our core principles, right, fiscal responsibility is what we do as conservatives. That's our brand. And 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, right?"
His remarks were met with applause from the CPAC audience but underscored a divide between the GOP leadership and Trump, who continues to hold significant sway over the party.
According to the Associated Press, Trump recently voiced support for the plan during an investment conference in Miami on Wednesday.
The former president said his administration is considering allocating 20% of savings generated by DOGE's cost-cutting measures directly to U.S. citizens, with another 20% designated for reducing the national debt.
Trump mentioned that the possibility of dividend payments would encourage people to report what he referred to as wasteful spending.
"They'll be reporting it themselves," Trump said. "They participate in the process of saving us money."
Musk has also reportedly backed the idea, though specifics on implementation remain unclear. The concept, however, has drawn mixed reactions online, with some conservatives and financial analysts warning of potential unintended consequences.
Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, expressed concern on X that Congress treats DOGE savings as a new financial reserve.
"The worst-case scenario for DOGE is our government treating DOGE 'savings' as their new piggy bank, which I fear Congress is already doing," Adams wrote.