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By Jasmine Laws
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James Fishback, the creator of the stimulus check plan that would return money gathered from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to American tax-paying households, said he thinks the checks should have Donald Trump's name on them, adding he believes the president "deserves the credit."
Newsweek contacted the White House out of normal working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
By leveraging savings identified by DOGE, which the agency alleges has saved an estimated $55 billion, Fishback says his proposal aims to enhance public trust in government while financially empowering American households.
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In his proposal, he argues that 20 percent of DOGE's total savings, which would total around $400 billion, could be returned to the approximately 79 million U.S. households that pay tax.
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What to Know
Appearing on talk show host Dom Giordano's Philadelphia-based podcast, in an episode which aired on Friday, Fishback said while discussing his proposal: "I'm honored that President Trump endorsed it, but I tell you Dom, he deserves the credit for it. Without his historic victory, without DOGE, without the savings, we wouldn't even have a DOGE dividend to speak of."
The CEO of the investment firm Azoria's proposed plan would distribute "DOGE dividends" of $5,000 to each American tax-paying household, in the form of a physical check.
The proposal suggests that about 79 million American households could benefit from a direct payment, incentivizing them to report inefficiencies, thus potentially increasing overall savings.
Answering Giordano's question on how the American tax payer can get money sent back to them that's "already been spent," Fishback said that there is money "allocated" to certain programs or schemes by the government that is not actually spent, which can then be returned to the taxpayer as a physical check.
Fishback said: "That money goes back to taxpayers in the form of a check, a physical check, we don't want any of this tax rebate, tax credit, nonsense."
"It's got to be a real check, and you know who's name should be on it? President Donald J. Trump, because without him, without the DOGE dividends, without any of this, we wouldn't be having this conversation," he added.
Stimulus checks previously went out with the president's name on them in 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act), where the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent out payments of around $1,200 to individual tax payers, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Per the outlet, the decision kicked up a storm, with critics determining it was a political move for Trump to win over more public support.
The IRS also sought advice from attorneys on whether adding Trump's name to the check was actually legal.
As documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by Bloomberg show, the move was determined to be legal by those attorneys, despite the criticism it stirred.
What People Are Saying
Fishback said on the podcast: "Do you want to pay the Chinese Communist Party that gave us the Wuhan virus, or do you want to pay a hard-working couple in the suburb of Bucks County? That's the choice, and I'm glad President Trump sides with the hard-working tax payer."
He also previously told Newsweek: "Long-term this will transform the economy into a lean, free market that allows anyone to work hard, earn a living and pay taxes knowing that they will be spent responsibly, honestly and with maximum efficiency."
What's Next
Last month, Trump said that the proposal was "under consideration," and recently, Fishback has said in multiple interviews that there will be a proposed bill relating to a DOGE check coming very soon, Forbes reported.
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