WASHINGTON (TNND) — White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller broke down the possible distribution of DOGE dividend checks, which are part of an ongoing reconciliation process with Congress.
The proposed plan aims to return a portion of savings to taxpayers, pay down national debt and potentially adjust future budget baselines, Miller explained during Thursday’s White House briefing.
The proposal includes distributing 20% of the savings to taxpayers, with another 20% going toward debt reduction.
The remaining 60% is set to be used to lower future spending levels, thus creating permanent savings that will help reduce the deficit, according to Miller. He said the 60% can either be cycled into next year’s budget, thereby reducing overall spending, or serve as a cushion for future fiscal needs.
While the distribution of checks has raised questions about timing, officials clarified that the process is part of the ongoing reconciliation efforts, with both the Senate and House currently working on related bills.
Miller noted that President Donald Trump is confident in the progress and in Congress’s ability to deliver on these priorities.
“President Trump has made a historic commitment to the working class of this country, to fight for a major tax relief and major price relief and cutting spending, as DOGE is doing and cutting taxes is the key to delivering on both of those promises, and President Trump has committed to doing both,” Miller told reporters.
Trump said, “I love it. A 20% dividend sort of 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,” during a Wednesday gaggle aboard Air Force One.
Trump’s top economist, who was also at the briefing, was asked if there is a concern that the potential DOGE check could be inflationary.
“Absolutely not,” Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, responded. “Imagine if we don’t spend government money and we give it back to people. Then the, you know, if they spend it all, then you’re even, uh, but they’re probably gonna save a lot of it, in which case you’re reducing inflation.”
He went on to explain that government spending is a factor that creates inflation while calling out former President Joe Biden.
“If we reduce government spending, then that’s, uh, you know, reduces inflation, and if you give people money, then they’re gonna save a bunch of it and, and when they save it then that also reduces demand and reduces inflation,” Hassett said.
The idea of DOGE dividend checks was first proposed on social media. James Fishback, founder of investment firm Azoria Partners, promoted the idea Tuesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, prompting Elon Musk to respond that he would “check with the president.” Fishback said there have also been “behind the scenes” conversations about the issue with White House officials.
Musk has estimated that his Department of Government Efficiency has cut $55 billion so far — a tiny fraction of the $6.8 trillion federal budget.
