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.