James Fishback, the brains behind the “DOGE Dividend” idea, explains how we the taxpayers get our money back
James Fishback, CEO of Azoria Partners, proposed the “DOGE Dividend”, a plan to return a portion of savings achieved by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—led by Elon Musk and tasked with cutting federal spending—to U.S. taxpayers.
The proposal suggests taking 20% of DOGE’s projected savings and distributing it as tax refund checks to approximately 79 million tax-paying households, defined as those with a net federal income tax liability (i.e., paying more in taxes than they receive in benefits). Assuming DOGE meets its goal of $2 trillion in savings by July 2026, this would equate to $400 billion, or roughly $5,000 per household. If savings are lower—say, $1 trillion or $500 billion—the checks would scale to $2,500 or $1,250, respectively. The remaining 80% of savings would go toward reducing the national debt, currently over $36 trillion.
Fishback argues the dividend would serve as restitution for government waste, restore public trust, and incentivize citizens to report inefficiencies, further amplifying DOGE’s impact. He insists it’s not inflationary like COVID-era stimulus checks, as it’s funded solely by savings, not deficits, and targets only taxpayers, potentially boosting labor force participation.