House Republicans responded to the idea that money saved from federal cuts could be passed down to the taxpayer.
The money would come via cuts recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency under Elon Musk, which included savings from programs under USAID and the Treasury Department.
First proposed by investment CEO James Fishback, the “DOGE Dividend” checks would total $5,000 and be “sent to every taxpayer,” Fishback wrote on X.
‘We kind of got in the situation that we’re in by just sending checks to people.’
However, when approached for comment regarding the possibility of sending the refund checks to the taxpayer, at least five Republican members of Congress shot down the idea, with one even claiming it could cause inflation.
Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said checks to the public were specifically the problem, not the solution.
“We kind of got in the situation that we’re in by just sending checks to people, and we got a $36 trillion debt headed toward 37 rapidly,” Harris told the Daily Signal. “It’s going to make far more sense for any savings that we find to make sure that we get that debt under control, bend that curve, and make sure that we get our country on a really fiscally sound financial footing.”
Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) answered similarly, saying the latest Republican budget is actually the answer the taxpayer seeks.
“The ‘big, beautiful bill’ will be stimulative on its own,” Huizenga told the Daily Signal.
The congressman stated that the “additional cash infusion to folks … could potentially be inflationary.”
However, given that the DOGE cuts would be money that was already allocated and, in most cases, being spent, it is unclear how that would happen.
Huizenga added, “To me, with $36 trillion in debt, the most responsible thing that we can do is apply that” to the massive deficit.
RELATED: White House works to send DOGE cuts package to Congress
Rep. Mike Cloud, (R-Tex.), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) all told the Daily Signal that paying down the deficit was more important then sending out checks.
“What we can do, and President Trump’s great at this, is find creative ways to grow the economy and grow our way out of this while we get a hold of in Congress our federal spending that’s way out of hand, to get rid of our spending addiction,” Cloud told the outlet.
“Let’s focus on tackling our $36 trillion debt, while also helping hardworking Americans prosper by making the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent and spending less of their tax dollars,” Lee told the Daily Signal.
“DOGE savings coupled with tax cuts will ensure Iowans and Americans can keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets while also restoring fiscal sanity and addressing deficit spending,” Hinson said to the Daily Signal.
RELATED: Elon Musk formally departs from DOGE following a tumultuous tenure
Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Reporter Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, who spoke with the Republicans, told Blaze News that the sources she spoke to “would love to give money back to the taxpayer” but are more focused on debt spending.
“They believe the best way to put more money in the wallets of taxpayers is to reduce the national debt.”
On June 6, Fishback wrote an update on his X page, saying the savings Musk promised the federal government did not come to fruition.
“The truth is that Elon set expectations that he relayed to the President, me, and the country that he did not come close to fulfilling.”
The investor still said he was proud of his proposal and that he intended to work with the Donald Trump administration to “return savings to taxpayers.”
On June 7, USA Today claimed that any DOGE dividend would actually be delivered on a per-eligible-household basis, which includes only those who pay more taxes than they get back.
USA Today said lower-income Americans would not qualify for the return.
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