Good morning! It’s Daniel de Visé with your Daily Money, keeping-up-with-DOGE edition.

Could President Trump issue DOGE stimulus checks? The idea of $5,000 refunds from the ongoing drive to reduce federal spending has been floated.

But don't add that bonus to your account just yet. Here's what we know.

Is my data safe from DOGE?

If you follow the news, you’ve probably read about the Department of Government Efficiency and its incursions into the seemingly bottomless trove of federal data, including potentially sensitive tax and Social Security records. 

Elon Musk’s cost-cutting campaign has stoked fears about the data itself: that sensitive records might be mishandled, copied, leaked or lost. The concurrent mass layoffs of government workers potentially leave fewer trained hands available to safeguard the records. 

Here are some data tips from the experts.

More Americans live paycheck to paycheck

Paycheck-to-paycheck living isn’t just for the working class anymore, according to community finance platform SoLo’s 2025 Cash Poor Report.

Many middle-class Americans, including those with college degrees, those who own homes, people who are investors, and those who have six-figure incomes, are also “cash-poor,” SoLo said in its survey of 2,000 adults.

Here are the details.

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About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.

Daniel de Visé covers personal finance for USA Today.