What legislators think about DOGE stimulus checks
A proposed "DOGE Dividend" check has stirred debate among U.S. senators—with some pointing to the need to balance the budget and address inflation first.
A proposal to distribute $5,000 stimulus checks to tax-paying households, financed by savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been stirring debate in Washington.
While the proposed "DOGE Dividend" has garnered attention and support from certain quarters, including from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, it faces skepticism from some senators concerned about fiscal responsibility and the national debt.
Newsweek reached out to Senators Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, Thom Tillis, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and John Kennedy for comment via email on Friday.
Why It MattersThe DOGE check idea has sparked a broader discussion about fiscal responsibility, government efficiency and the role of government in managing and redistributing savings.
Under the proposal, 20 percent of the total savings accrued by the DOGE would be allocated to fund a one-time payment of $5,000 to each qualifying tax-paying household.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) questions acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and Deputy Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Paul Abbate during a joint hearing on July 30, 2024 in Washington, DC. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) questions acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and Deputy Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Paul Abbate during a joint hearing on July 30, 2024 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesWhat To KnowThe "DOGE Dividend" proposal, thought up by investment firm CEO James Fishback, has been framed as a means to reward American taxpayers for the government's past inefficiencies.
However, key voices in the Senate have expressed reservations. Republican Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized the importance of fiscal responsibility over political gains at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, citing the nation's $36 trillion debt as a reason for concern.
"We have a $36 trillion federal debt. We have a giant deficit that we're contending with. I think we need to pay down the credit card. Right? That's what I think we need to do," Johnson said.
Republican senators Cynthia Lummis and Ron Johnson have mentioned prioritizing a balanced budget and addressing inflation before considering dividend checks.
Lummis' team pointed Newsweek to a quote the senator told Scripps News this week. "If there's money left after we address inflation, and the debt, and the deficit, it's always a good idea to send taxpayers their money back. But when we're $36 trillion in debt, we've dug ourselves a pretty big hole," Lummis said.
Johnson told Newsmax that any savings should first contribute to balancing the budget.
"Well I'm happy to do that once we balance the budget... those savings ought to be put toward spending reductions so we can balance the budget, so we can start returning more money to the American taxpayer," Johnson said.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has echoed this sentiment. The senator suggested that savings should be used to drive down the national debt, not distributed as checks—telling Business Insider that "sending checks is not the smartest way to spend savings."
On the other hand, Republican Senator Josh Hawley told Scripps he "[likes] the idea of returning money to the American taxpayer" but suggested channeling the funds toward direct relief measures like a child tax credit could be a beneficial approach.
Read more: DOGE Stimulus Check Creator Defends Plan Against Inflation Fears
What People Are SayingRepublican Senator Cynthia Lummis' team pointed Newsweek to a quote the senator gave to Scripps News: "I'm very interested in eliminating the debt and the deficit, as well as getting inflation under control. So those would be my top priorities for the savings associated with DOGE."
"If there's money left after we address inflation, and the debt, and the deficit, it's always a good idea to send taxpayers their money back. But when we're $36 trillion in debt, we've dug ourselves a pretty big hole, so we need to address that first."
Republican Senator Ron Johnson's team pointed Newsweek to the senator's statements on X (formerly Twitter) in response to the proposal: "I'm always happy to let the American people keep more of their hard-earned money, but DOGE savings should first go toward reducing spending so that inflation doesn't become the silent tax robbing them of their purchasing power."
Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri told Scripps News: "I like the idea of returning money to the American taxpayer. Bernie Sanders and I sponsored direct relief for taxpayers during COVID, so I like that model. Whether you do that direct to every person or whether you use it to fund, for instance, a child tax credit, which would be direct relief to every working family, if they work and pay payroll taxes, that would be great."
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told Business Insider: "I have three grandchildren, all under the age of eight years old. Their fractional share of the national debt is about $100,000. I think maybe it makes sense to help pay down that debt obligation."
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said at the CPAC Thursday: "Politically that would be great for us, you know, you can send everybody a check... But if you think about our core principles, right, fiscal responsibility is what we do as conservatives, that's our brand. We have a $36 trillion federal debt. We have a giant deficit that we're contending with. I think we need to pay down the credit card. Right? That's what I think we need to do."
Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas, wrote on X: "I said that the DOGE checks were dead on arrival and MAGA went crazy... I also pointed out that 5k ain't 'it.' If you don't have a job because he's sending us into a recession where people are gonna be outta work. I'm sure the average person would rather have an actual consistent income, but these fools are so slow that they can't listen to an entire sentence.
Also what is 5k when you don't have any social security, Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, housing benefits, and the list goes on?"
What Happens NextWith varying opinions among lawmakers and the need for congressional approval, the future of the "DOGE Dividend" remains uncertain.
Fishback told Business Insider that the proposal has been emailed to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, though there was no response as of Wednesday.
The controversy over which position $313.5 million slugger Rafael Devers will play in the Boston Red Sox infield may have repercussions for another player.
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Both SBS’s “Buried Hearts” and MBC’s “Undercover High School” saw their viewership ratings rise for their second episodes!
On February 22, Park Hyung Sik’s new drama “Buried Hearts” enjoyed a significant increase in viewership. According to Nielsen Korea, the second episode of the show scored an average nationwide rating of 8.1 percent, marking an impressive 2 percent jump from its premiere the night prior—and making it the most-watched miniseries of the entire week.
Despite facing stiff competition from “Buried Hearts,” Seo Kang Jun’s new drama “Undercover High School”—which airs in the same time slot—also rose to an average nationwide rating of 6.6 percent for its own second episode.
“Undercover High School” was also the most-watched drama of Saturday among the key demographic of viewers ages 20 to 49, with whom it earned an average rating of 2.8 percent.
tvN’s “When the Stars Gossip”—which has just one episode left in its run—fell to an all-time low of 1.783 percent ahead of its series finale, while Channel A’s new drama “The Witch” scored an average nationwide rating of 1.7 percent for its third episode.
Finally, KBS 2TV’s “For Eagle Brothers” remained the most-watched program of Saturday with an average nationwide rating of 16.3 percent.
Check out the first two episodes of “Undercover High School” with subtitles on Viki below:
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40985c-undercover-high-school]
Or start watching “The Witch” here:
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40442c-the-witch]
And “For Eagle Brothers” below!
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40963c-for-eagle-brothers]
Source (1) (2) (3)
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 (2) (3) %23maine) |
|
|
The Netflix docuseries “American Murder: Gabby Petito” is facing backlash from some viewers who are questioning whether the filmmakers’ decision to use artificial intelligence to recreate Petito’s voice is ethical.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Shakur Stevenson outclassed Josh Padley in Saudi Arabia, forcing the Brit's corner to throw in the towel after a ninth round onslaught. However, it's Padley's whose stock will rise after this fight.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Hunter Schafer made a return to the spotlight at the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards, her first appearance since calling out Trump over her passport listing her as 'male'.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Severance season 2 ep. 6's villain twist explained
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G., died Friday, February 21
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jeremy Ebobisse scored in the 78th minute of his first match with his new club, and Los Angeles FC remained perfect in eight Major League Soccer season openers with a 1-0 victory…
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 — Jeremy Ebobisse scored in the 78th minute of his first match with his new club, and Los Angeles FC remained perfect in eight Major League Soccer season openers with a 1-0 victory… %23maine){kind=logo} |
|
|
President Donald Trump has chosen Dan Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Golden State Warriors are back with a new edge. Coach Steve Kerr shares how it all came together and its impact on the team.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. loves Canada and especially the Jays, but for his upcoming free agency — he is next winter’s clear No. 1 guy — he suggests he will consider any of the 30 teams.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
An insider has given a glimpse into what Meghan Markle is really like off-camera, after she was branded as "demanding" while filming for her new Netflix show With Love
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers faced accusations after he introduced a bill in which the word
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
We can't cope.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
BLACKPINK’s Rosé is soaring to unprecedented heights on U.S. radio!
For the week ending on February 22, Rosé and Bruno Mars’ smash hit “APT.” remained No. 1 for the fourth week in a row on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, which measures weekly plays on mainstream Top 40 radio stations across the United States. Notably, Rosé is the first K-pop artist ever to top the chart.
“APT.” also rose to a new peak of No. 4 in its 13th week on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart, which measures U.S. radio plays across all musical genres (not just Top 40 pop).
Even including groups and male acts, Rosé is now the first K-pop artist ever to reach the top 4 of the Radio Songs chart.
Additionally, “APT.” stayed strong at No. 2 in its 17th week on Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. chart, No. 3 on the Global 200, No. 7 on the Hot 100, No. 11 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and No. 12 on the Streaming Songs chart.
Meanwhile, Rosé’s solo album “rosie” remained stable at No. 31 in its 10th week on the Billboard 200, extending its own record for the most weeks in the top 40 of any album by either a female K-pop artist or a K-pop soloist of any gender.
“rosie” also held relatively steady at No. 35 in its 10th week on Billoard’s Top Current Album Sales chart.
Finally, Rosé maintained her position at No. 31 on Billboard’s Artist 100 this week, marking her 18th non-consecutive week on the chart as a soloist.
Congratulations to Rosé!
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
.
Even including groups and male acts, Rosé is now the first K-pop artist ever to reach the top 4 of the Radio Songs chart.
Additionally, “APT.” stayed strong at No. 2 in its 17th week on Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. chart, No. 3 on the Global 200, No. 7 on the Hot 100, No. 11 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and No. 12 on the Streaming Songs chart.
Meanwhile, Rosé’s solo album “rosie” remained stable at No. 31 in its 10th week on the Billboard 200, extending its own record for the most weeks in the top 40 of any album by either a female K-pop artist or a K-pop soloist of any gender.
“rosie” also held relatively steady at No. 35 in its 10th week on Billoard’s Top Current Album Sales chart.
Finally, Rosé maintained her position at No. 31 on Billboard’s Artist 100 this week, marking her 18th non-consecutive week on the chart as a soloist.
Congratulations to Rosé! %23maine) |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.