To give $5,000 stimulus checks to citizens, DOGE must first meet its $2 trillion savings goal, which would make the idea affordable. In a January interview with political strategist Mark Penn, Musk said DOGE had a better chance of cutting $1 trillion instead.

By definition, a dividend is a distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders and a refund is a payment made back to a user that previously paid for something. A stimulus check, on the other hand, is a direct payment to encourage spending and stimulate the economy by putting money directly into the consumers' hands.

It was already ridiculous enough when Elon Musk claimed to be considering stimulus checks funded by DOGE’s nonexistent savings. Now, the checks proposer has clarified that if they do go out, low-income Americans won’t get them,