(NewsNation) — The CEO behind President Donald Trump’s proposed $5,000 “DOGE dividend” checks said Wednesday that the initiative would deputize Americans to help root out government waste and fraud.
James Fishback said on NewsNation’s “CUOMO” the dividend program “is totally reasonable” and would motivate citizens to report wasteful spending to the Department of Government Efficiency, with larger potential payouts tied to greater savings found.
“Every American can step up, report fraud and abuse to DOGE directly via X, and we’ll see the savings go up, hit $2 trillion, and we’ll see the checks dispersed next summer,” Fishback said.
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Under the proposal, 20% of identified savings would fund $5,000 checks to American households, while 80% would go toward reducing the national debt. Fishback defended the payment plan as “restitution” rather than a handout.
“This isn’t a handout. This was taxpayers’ money that was sent to D.C. in the first place,” Fishback said. “It wasn’t sent to D.C. to then be quickly sent to Myanmar for a DEI musical or Columbia for a transgender opera.”
Fishback acknowledged that targeting major spending areas including the Pentagon would be necessary to reach the $2 trillion goal.
The initiative would require congressional approval to implement the proposed dividend payments.
Trump has endorsed the dividend concept, though Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who serves as a senior adviser to Trump, has stressed that balancing the budget should be the priority.
