House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed his preference for allocating potential savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) towards national debt reduction rather than distributing stimulus checks to Americans. During a Q&A session at CPAC, Johnson acknowledged the political appeal of stimulus checks but emphasized the importance of fiscal responsibility as a core conservative principle. He pointed to the substantial $36 trillion federal debt and the current deficit, exceeding $838 billion for fiscal year 2025, as compelling reasons to prioritize debt reduction.

Johnson's comments follow President Trump's suggestion of returning 20% of DOGE savings to taxpayers, a proposal initially put forth by James Fishback and supported by Elon Musk, who heads DOGE. DOGE aims to reduce federal spending by $2 trillion. Johnson also cautioned about a potential significant tax increase if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is not extended before its expiration at the end of the year. Congressional Republicans are working to extend these tax cuts and address defense and border security through a comprehensive budget reconciliation bill. This process allows them to bypass the need for bipartisan support in the Senate. Johnson described the bill as a means to streamline regulations and control bureaucracy, emphasizing its importance given the narrow Republican majority in the House. Extending the tax cuts alone is projected to cost over $4.5 trillion.