President Donald Trump announced Wednesday his administration may soon return 20% of the Department of Government Efficiency savings to American taxpayers in the form of a direct check.
The idea comes following the discovery of $4.7 trillion in untraceable Treasury payments by the Elon Musk-led DOGE.
“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 — because the numbers are incredible, Elon,” Trump said at the FII Institute Priority Summit in Miami.
“So many billions — billions, hundreds of billions and we’re thinking about giving 20 percent back to the American citizens and 20 percent down to pay back debt — pay down debt.”
The proposal first emerged after Azoria Partners CEO James Fishback suggested a “DOGE Dividend” on social media platform X.
DOGE director Elon Musk responded “Will check with the President,” and sources confirm Fishback is now in discussions with the administration.
In a stunning find, Musk revealed this week that $4.7 trillion in federal payments lacked any tracking codes.
“In the Federal Government, the TAS field was optional for ~$4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost impossible,” the agency posted on X. “As of Saturday, this is now a required field, increasing insight into where money is actually going.”
The missing Treasury Account Symbol (TAS) codes represent approximately 70% of last year’s federal spending. Since its creation, DOGE has expanded its oversight to multiple agencies including USAID, FEMA, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The agency has already reported concrete savings, including $26 million from terminating 20 consulting contracts focused on “strategic communication” and “executive coaching,” plus $150 million from cancelling 58 additional contracts in “Media, DEI, and Consulting.” DOGE also located $1.9 billion in “misplaced” Department of Housing and Urban Development funds.
Fishback’s dividend proposal suggests distributing $400 billion to 79 million tax-paying households as $5,000 checks after DOGE’s scheduled conclusion in July 2026.
The calculation assumes DOGE achieves its “best-case outcome” of $2 trillion in total savings over the next year-and-a-half.
The White House has not yet released specific details about implementation or eligibility requirements for the proposed dividend program.