The head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, has hinted at the possibility of sending American taxpayers checks for $5,000. The money is suggested to be generated by the savings procured by the department.

The proposal originated from a post on X by DOGE adviser James Fishback, who wrote that Musk should announce a “DOGE Dividend” that is “funded exclusively with a portion of the total savings delivered by DOGE.”

Fishback identified 79 million households in the country that have paid federal income tax and would be eligible for this payment.

These 79 million households would split the total savings used for the payment, which Fishback stated would be roughly $400 million. This proposition would result in $5,000 checks for each household.

Musk responded to this proposal, stating he would take the idea to the President:

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President Trump has also hinted at this concept, saying there are discussions about providing a certain percentage of the DOGE savings to American citizens.

Although Musk and Trump have claimed that these checks could become a reality, the payments are unlikely to be processed.

The first obstacle that this payment would have to overcome is Congress.

Republicans hold a very slim majority in the U.S. Senate and would likely need support from nearly every senator in the party to pass this initiative; however, multiple Republican Senators have already spoken out against this idea.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said that “sending checks is not the smartest way to spend savings” and that the department should focus on reducing the U.S. debt instead.

“I have three grandchildren, all under the age of 8 years old,” Tillis said, per Business Insider. “Their fractional share of the national debt is about $100,000. I think maybe it makes sense to help pay down that debt obligation.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) provided a similar statement and said he would happily discuss this proposal once the government finds a way to “balance the budget.”

“The first use of that money needs to actually be reducing spending, so we can have a balanced budget, so Americans can keep their hard-earned dollars,” Johnson said, per Business Insider. “Not only from a standpoint of not having to pay taxes, but so we don’t inflate them away.”

The second biggest obstacle is the high amount of savings required.

Fishback initially proposed this $5,000 payment based on the belief that DOGE would save the U.S. government $2 trillion.

However, Trump and Musk have since claimed that “the overall goal is to try to get a trillion dollars out of the deficit,” drastically reducing the total amount of savings, per Business Insider.

As a result, this $5,000 payment is unrealistic due to the reduction in expected savings.