President Donald Trump floated the idea Wednesday of returning some of the savings recouped by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to U.S. citizens, with an equal amount going to pay down the federal 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 said.
Trump made the remarks at an event in Miami Beach, Florida, a day after Musk indicated on X that he would ask Trump about a “DOGE dividend,” described as a tax refund check sourced from the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle parts of the federal government.
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Musk was at the event, seated near White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump appeared to confirm to reporters aboard Air Force One that the idea for the "20% dividend" came from Musk.
"I love it," Trump said Wednesday night when he was asked about the proposal, which a reporter characterized as Musk's proposal. "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 in his remarks earlier in the evening that the proposal to disburse DOGE savings to American citizens could give people incentives to report “waste” on their own.
“By doing this, Americans will tell us where there is waste. They’ll be reporting it themselves. They participate in the process of saving money,” he said.
Trump did not provide any details about how such a plan would come to fruition or what the other 60% of DOGE savings would be used for.
A spokesperson for DOGE did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
It is unclear exactly how much DOGE has eliminated or recouped, despite persistent vows for transparency, particularly by Musk.
DOGE says on its website that it has saved $55 billion, pointing to drastic cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Education Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
But some of Musk’s claims about DOGE’s work have not held up under scrutiny. On Monday, DOGE said it recouped $8 billion worth of savings from a canceled contract at the Department of Homeland Security. A closer analysis revealed the figure was $8 million.
Musk has acknowledged that his team will make mistakes.
“We will make mistakes, but we’ll act quickly to correct any mistakes," he said at a White House news conference this month.
Musk initially said DOGE would find $2 trillion in savings, but he backed off that figure last month.
