The US government shutdown is now in its third week, thereby becoming the second longest in the history of the country. At the same time, there are talks between President Donald Trump and certain congressmen regarding the possibility of the fourth round of stimulus checks. Trump has proposed that the checks could be anything between $1,000 and $2,000 for the individuals. In one of his interviews, he stated, “The debt will be paid, but at the same time, we can offer the American people a sort of dividend.
Trump has also stated several times throughout the year that a portion of the government revenue generated by new tariffs could be returned to taxpayers, similar to the stimulus payments made during the pandemic. In February, he also proposed the idea of a $5,000 “DOGE Dividend” during a summit in Miami. This was intended to return a portion of the 20% savings identified by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to taxpayers. However, he has not since shared any new information on the progress of this plan or on the DOGE Dividend and tariff rebate.
When will the fourth stimulus check arrive?
A lot of people are counting on the possibility of a fourth stimulus check in October. Nevertheless, there won’t be any signals that the payment is coming too soon. It is a must that Congress gives the green light before a stimulus check can go out in the US. For that reason, the best thing is not to expect a check right now.
Congressman Ro Khanna of California suggested that this month $2,000 payments should be paid to Americans making under $100,000. He claims that such a measure would alleviate the financial burden related to some of the tariffs that Trump imposed.
What is DOGE?
DOGE is the acronym for Department of Government Efficiency, which was the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization before being rebranded. It is a project that has been initiated by Trump and guided by Elon Musk. The goal of DOGE is to make government operations easier and to increase overall productivity by cutting costs, easing up on regulations, and updating technology and software across federal agencies.
Formerly, Trump had a notion that a part of the funds that would be acquired from new tariffs could be sent back to the taxpayers in the shape of rebate cheques. He also made a suggestion of a “DOGE Dividend” worth $5,000 during a summit in Miami last February. The intention of this strategy was to give a fraction of the savings of DOGE back to the taxpayers. Nonetheless, there hasn’t been any new news ever since, and the situation around the DOGE Dividend or tariff rebate is still ambiguous.
What’s happening in Texas?
Right now, the state of Texas does not have any “inflation refund” plan. The absence of a personal income tax in Texas makes it hard to run rebate programs based on income of the households. Therefore, relief in the state generally takes the form of property tax reduction or federal funding for rebate on energy bills.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, in 2023, made an $18 billion property tax relief package, the largest ever in the history of the state. It provided a cut in the tax rates for schools, plus a bigger homestead exemption. The same package was approved in the legislative session of June 2025, and the voters will be the ones to determine if and how much the taxes will be reduced in November.
Right now, the situation is such that individuals expecting to get an “inflation refund” check will have to wait a lengthy period of time. The state’s powers-that-be have not shown any indication of their adopting a policy similar to that of New York.
Conclusion
Even though the government shutdown and budget cuts render a fourth stimulus check improbable, the talks and proposals keep popping up. Nothing is clear at the moment regarding the like DOGE dividends or tariff rebates. For example, Texas has its own relief plans but cash payments are very unlikely. That is why it is the best time for Americans to have a realistic view and keep listening to government pronouncements.
FAQs
Q1. Is the government shutdown delaying stimulus checks?
Yes, any new stimulus checks would require congressional approval, so the shutdown could delay decisions or distribution.
Q2. Will there be a fourth stimulus check in October?
Currently, there is no official confirmation of a fourth stimulus check, so people should not expect one soon.
Q3. What is the DOGE dividend proposed by Trump?
DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) was a plan to use government savings to give dividend-style payments to taxpayers, but it hasn’t been implemented.
Q4. Are tariff rebates being issued to taxpayers?
Although suggested by Trump, no official rebate checks from tariffs have been released yet.
Q5. Is Texas offering any “inflation refund” checks?
No, Texas does not collect personal income tax, so relief comes in forms like property tax cuts or federal energy rebates, not direct checks.