Some lawmakers have expressed interest in the idea of giving Americans tax refund checks using the money saved by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), while others say that the government should focus on inflation, reducing government debt, and balancing the budget.
President Donald Trump and DOGE co-chief Elon Musk have both expressed interest in the so-called DOGE dividend.
The tax refund could amount to about $5,000 per taxpaying household, according to James Fishback, chief executive of hedge fund Azoria.
Fishback initially pitched the idea on social media platform X, prompting a response from Musk who said he would discuss it with the president.
His proposal has garnered a lot of attention from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said he supports the notion of sending refund checks to Americans.
"I like the idea of returning money to the American taxpayer," Hawley said. "Whether you do that directly 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."
But there appears to be some resistance among Republicans when it comes to stimulus checks.
"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 deep hole, so we need to address that first."
House Speaker Mike Johnson said during an interview at CPAC that it would be good for Republicans but that the party should focus of paying off its debt.
"Politically, that would be great for us, you know, you send everyone a check," Johnson said. "But if you think about our core principles, fiscal responsibility is what we do as conservatives. That's our brand."
"And 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," he added.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) shared the Speaker's sentiment.
Some Democrat lawmakers have also weighed in, pushing back on the DOGE dividend proposal.
"We are not in the business of giving out money," Crockett said. "And honestly, I don't know what $5,000 would do for you."
Democrat lawmakers have largely resisted DOGE's strategy to weed out waste, often criticizing Musk for his efforts, including laying off federal employees and eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs and contracts.