A proposed stimulus check from the Department of Government Efficiency, meant to incentivize the public to report government waste, could provide taxpayers with up to $5,000 if approved, Newsweek reported.
President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, head of DOGE, are considering the plan Azoria Investment CEO James Fishback created.
Fishback is promoting the initiative, which he calls the "DOGE Dividend," hoping the financial incentive will encourage citizens to report government waste and fraud.
DOGE has already recommended mass layoffs and spending cuts to reach its goal of cutting $2 trillion in yearly funding to major U.S. agencies.
Fishback's proposal suggests that a portion of the savings generated should be returned to American households that pay federal income tax.
"We are deputizing everyday Americans to be our eyes and ears on the ground to report waste, fraud, and abuse. The more DOGE saves, the bigger the DOGE Dividend check is, and that is a very powerful incentive for people to step up and report government waste," Fishback told Newsweek.
Arriving at the $5,000 figure, Fishback estimates that DOGE's savings could reach $400 billion by its expiration in July 2026, with 20% distributed among 79 million tax-paying households.
He has created a Google Doc accessible through mydogedividend.com to outline the proposal's potential benefits and answer common questions.
Despite Trump and Musk's interests, congressional leaders have reservations about the plan.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said during the Conservative Political Action Conference, "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? That's what I think we need to do."
The office of Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., pointed to her previous statement to Scripps News, in which she said, "I'm very interested in eliminating the debt and the deficit, as well as getting inflation under control. So those would be my top priorities for the savings associated with DOGE."
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, dismissed the proposal on social media, warning that it could lead to economic instability.
"I said that the DOGE checks were dead on arrival, and MAGA went crazy... Also what is 5k when you don't have any social security, Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, housing benefits, and the list goes on?" she wrote on X.
Fishback said that while a Republican president backs the policy, the proposed checks would benefit constituents across the political spectrum.
"We want to make sure we get good feedback and incorporate that feedback," Fishback told Newsweek.
The proposal would require congressional approval before issuing checks, most likely when the initiative ends in July 2026.