President Donald Trump suggested sending 20% of savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) directly to the American people.
He said taxpaying households could receive personal checks. Another 20% would go toward paying down the national debt.
"There's even under consideration a new concept where we give 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens, and 20% goes to paying down debt, because the numbers are incredible," Trump told reporters in Miami Beach, Florida.
Users on X, formerly Twitter, first pitched the idea to Elon Musk. They suggested $5,000 payouts as a "DOGE dividend." Musk responded, saying he would "check with the president" about it.
A reporter brought up the proposal during Trump's event in Florida.
"I love it," Trump said. "A 20% dividend, so to speak, for the money that we're saving by going after the waste, fraud and abuse and all of the other things that are happening. I think it's a great idea."
Trump suggested the payments could motivate Americans to report government waste. NBC News reported on his remarks.
DOGE claims to have saved $55 billion by cutting USAID, the Department of Education, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Some cuts face legal challenges.
The program is set to dissolve on July 4, 2026.
Trump hasn’t said what his administration would do with the remaining 60% of DOGE savings.