By David Lawder
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s name will appear on the coronavirus relief paper checks the U.S. Treasury will send to millions of Americans, a Treasury official confirmed on Wednesday, saying the change will not affect the timely mailing of the checks beginning next week.
Even so, most of the “Economic Impact Payments” being issued under the CARES Act recently passed by Congress in response to the heavy economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak are expected to be made electronically by direct deposit to recipients bank accounts.
Trump, eager to gain re-election campaign mileage from the $1,200 Economic Impact Payment checks that will be delivered to Americans earning less than $75,000 a year, recently asked the Internal Revenue Service put his name on the checks, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
“Thanks to hard work and long hours by dedicated IRS employees, these payments are going out on schedule, as planned, without delay, to the nation,” the U.S. tax agency said in a statement. “The IRS employees are delivering these payments in record time compared to previous stimulus efforts.”
Neither Barack Obama nor George W. Bush put their names on stimulus checks that were mailed to Americans when they were president. The Washington Post reported that Trump’s name will appear at bottom left, in the “memo” line, and it initially said this change would delay the checks by several days.
There will be no delay, Treasury said Wednesday.
“Yes, the Economic Impact Payment checks will have the president’s name on them. This has no impact on the timing of their delivery, and there is no delay whatsoever. Checks will go out on time, as planned, starting early next week,” a Treasury official said.
The Treasury official said there was not expected to be any notation referencing Trump on the electronic payments.
The Treasury also said on Wednesday it will automatically send the Economic Impact Payments directly to the bank accounts of disabled, blind and elderly recipients of the Supplemental Security Income program. They can also receive payments by debit card or paper check in the same manner as they receive their normal benefit payments.
About 8.1 million Americans who do not normally file income tax returns receive benefits under this program, which is administered by the Social Security Administration. They will have to register information on qualifying children with the IRS to receive the $500 per-child supplement.
(Reporting David Lawder; editing by Heather Timmons and Leslie Adler)
