Trump supports possibility of $5K stimulus checks. Will that money really come to WA?
One of the many executive orders issued by President Donald Trump at the start of his second term created a new department, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk.
DOGE, which has been met with criticism and legal challenges, says its aim is reforming government spending and systems, with an initial public goal of $2 trillion in savings. Musk later amended this number to $1 trillion during a joint Fox News interview with President Trump.
After the notion of a stimulus check for Americans using savings from DOGE gained traction online, Musk posted a response on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying he’d relay the idea to President Trump.
The tweet from James Fishback, CEO of the investment company Azoria, includes a four-page proposal for a “DOGE Dividend” sent to every taxpayer, entirely funded by DOGE savings. It’s based on the original projection of $2 trillion in savings.
Trump confirmed during a speech in Miami earlier this month that he was considering the possibility of stimulus checks.
But will $5,000 checks actually be sent to Washingtonians?
Trump’s proposed stimulus checks
Achieving the $2 trillion goal necessary for funding stimulus checks would be extremely difficult, as reported in Fortune, CBS’ MoneyWatch and other news outlets. Without greater savings from DOGE, the funding for these stimulus checks does not exist.
DOGE claims to have saved over $65 billion already, according to its Savings webpage. But reporting from the Washington Post and USA Today shows that DOGE’s total amount saved is lower than reported, with the most recent estimates coming in under $10 billion.
Additionally, DOGE expires in July 2026, per the executive order. The proposed checks wouldn’t be issued until after this date.
The checks would also need congressional approval, and numerous members of Congress from both parties have publicly opposed the idea.
Washington state and DOGE
The state of Washington’s Attorney General Nick Brown recently joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the power given to Musk through the department’s creation. The lawsuit claims that creating a federal department without an election or approval from Congress violates the U.S. Constitution’s Appointments Clause.
“Elon Musk has amassed — or simply taken for himself — unaccountable power to walk into any federal agency, fire people, eliminate programs authorized by Congress, and access confidential personal and national security information without regard for the consequences,” Brown stated in a press release.
In the same press release, Governor Bob Ferguson agreed that Musk’s role is unconstitutional.
“If the President wants Musk or any other powerful billionaire to have a significant role in running our government, he can and should appoint them as the Constitution requires,” Gov. Ferguson stated in the press release.
The federal government is currently debating Musk’s status as a federal employee.
Washington state is leading two legal challenges against the federal administration, and participating in three others. Brown told McClatchy’s State Government Reporter Simone Carter that his priority is protecting people’s rights in Washington state.
Read about the other legal challenges here:
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 1:24 PM.