FACT CHECK: No, DOGE Has Not Stopped An Annual $2.6 Million Payment To Obama For ‘Obamacare Royalties’
A post shared on Facebook claims the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has purportedly stopped an annual $2.6 million payment to former President Barack Obama for “Obamacare royalties.”
Verdict: False
The claim is false and originally stems from a Feb. 26 post shared by “America’s Last Line of Defense,” which is a satirical Facebook page.
Fact Check:
DOGE is planning to fire more federal workers, according to The Washington Post, which cited an email from the General Services Administration. The administration has been instructed to cut its staff by half, the outlet reported.
The Facebook post claims DOGE has purportedly stopped an annual $2.6 million payment to Obama for “Obamacare royalties.”
“DOGE stopped an annual payment to Barack Obama for $2.6 million for ‘royalties associated with Obamacare.’ He’s been collecting it since 2010, for a total of $39 million in taxpayer dollars,” text that appears on a photo of Obama featured in the post reads.
The claim is false and originally stems from a Feb. 26 post shared by “America’s Last Line of Defense,” which is a satirical Facebook page. The Facebook page describes itself as “the flagship of the ALLOD network of trollery and propaganda for cash” while reiterating that “nothing on this page is real.” The Feb. 26 post has received 3,000 likes as of writing.
Likewise, DOGE does not appear to have referenced the claim via its website or its verified X account, @DOGE. DOGE lead and Tesla CEO Elon Musk also has not mentioned the claim. Obama has not publicly commented on the claim, either. (RELATED: No Listening Devices Found In White House)
In addition, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On Feb. 27, Lead Stories debunked the claim, indicating it originated via the same satirical Facebook page. Besides Lead Stories, Snopes also debunked the claim.
Check Your Fact has contacted Obama’s office for comment.
