House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., distanced himself from a proposal backed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to allocate savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) toward stimulus checks for Americans, according to The Hill.
When asked about the idea, Johnson expressed skepticism at the Conservative Political Action Conference despite its political appeal. Johnson said, “Well, I mean, that’d be great for us politically. Everyone gets a paycheck. You can see that we’re fiscally responsible.”
While applauding his remarks at CPAC, the audience also highlighted the division between the GOP leaders and Trump, who still has significant influence in the party. According to the Associated Press, Trump supported the plan during a recent investment event held in Miami on Wednesday.
The former president Bush stated that his administration is considering allocating 20% of the savings generated from DOGE cost-cutting measures directly to U.S. citizens, and another 20% for the reduction of the national debt.
Trump stated that the possibility of dividend payments could encourage individuals to report wasteful expenditures.
“They’ll be reporting it themselves,” Trump said. “They participate in the process of saving us money.”
Musk has also endorsed this idea. Details on the implementation of this concept are not yet clear. The concept has been met with mixed reviews. Conservatives and financial experts have warned against unintended consequences.
Scott Adams of Dilbert Comics expressed to X his concern about Congress treating DOGE as a reserve.
Adams wrote: “The worst-case scenario for DOGE is if our government treats DOGE’s’savings’ as its piggybank. I’m afraid Congress has already done it. “
