The DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency, is a specific department within the United States government that was brought into existence on 20 January 2025.
The establishment follows an executive order that was given by President Donald Trump. Special government employee Elon Musk helped spark this establishment. The whole purpose behind the DOGE is to promote a smaller, more efficient government. Aiming to conform it to the Trump administration’s overall political ideology.
DOGE’s goals and surrounding promises
DOGE mainly focused on waste reduction, enhanced transparency as well and streamlining operations. With this in mind, procurement processes would be reshaped across the local, federal, and state agencies. One of the important factors to note is the drive to promote accountability within federal contracts. This would be done with the updated regulatory frameworks set in place.
Working to achieve what was planned, certain tasks have been set in motion. Some of the activities involved included mass layoffs, defunding programmes, as well as shutting government agency offices. A great majority of the programmes that were run the America’s main foreign aid organization, USAID, have been cut. As of 20 April, the estimated savings made by DOGE were $160 billion.
Understanding James Fishback’s initial proposal
There is a lot of uncertainty that remains with the possibility of payouts that would be made from the DOGE. For this to be effected, a multi-approval process needs to be followed before any dividend payments can be sent out to individuals within the United States. Despite this, the Trump campaign has hinted at the idea of DOGE checks being paid in funding emails sent to supporters.
The idea for this specific stimulus check was first proposed by the 30-year-old CEO of the investment firm Azoria, James Fishback. His initial four-page proposal indicated that this payment should be made only to those taxpaying households above a certain income level. The idea was posted on X, after which Elon Musk responded. He indicated that he would share the idea with President Trump.
President Donald Trump first made mention of it during the FII Priority Summit in Miami Beach. James Fishback noted that his proposal aims to empower households within America while also enhancing the public’s trust in the government. This follows on with his overall vision that citizens receive a reward for active vigilance against wasteful spending.
Stimulus Checks—Dream or Reality
A previous consideration made by the Department of Government Efficiency and President Donald Trump himself was that 20% of the savings incurred by DOGE be paid to individual taxpayers. This would be something in the amount of a $5,000 stimulus check. To be informed about the potential $5,000 stimulus checks, you can visit DOGE’s official website, where updates could be launched.
These savings would be obtained by things such as cancelled grants, cancellation of lease agreements on federal field offices, etc. One thing does remain certain, however: if any specific payments will be issued by the government of the United States, these would need to be approved by Congress.
This has not happened yet. If Congress decides to approve this move, it is very unlikely that low-income residents will benefit from this.
Some of the things done by the Department of Government Efficiency have been met with a lot of controversy. One of these hot topics of discussion was the massive federal job cuts. On 14 February 2025, a lawsuit was filed in Washington, DC. This suit was brought by 14 attorneys general from 14 states.
The main argument in this matter was Elon Musk’s appointment, which was considered illegal. A request was brought to the court that the drastic job cuts imposed by DOGE be stopped. It would be interesting then to keep abreast of further developments within this Department, especially where it pertains to potential payouts.
