Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Stimulus Checks to Bear Trump's Name in Unprecedented Move
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
April 15, 2020

Share

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s name will be printed on the stimulus checks that the Internal Revenue Service will be sending to tens of millions of Americans around the country, in an unprecedented move finalized this week.

The Treasury Department confirmed the decision in a statement Wednesday. It marks the first time a president’s name has appeared on any IRS payments, either refund checks or other stimulus checks that have been mailed during past economic crises.

Treasury said that the decision to add Trump’s name will not delay issuance of the paper checks, which will be mailed to people who are not set up to receive direct deposit payments from the IRS.

“Economic Impact Payment checks are scheduled to go out on time and exactly as planned — there is no delay whatsoever,” Treasury’s statement said. “In fact, we expect the first checks to be in the mail early next week, which is well in advance of when the first checks went out in 2008 and well in advance of initial estimates.”

Two administration officials who spoke to The Associated Press said that “President Donald J. Trump” will appear on the left side in the memo section of the checks. They spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plans.

Earlier This Month, Trump Denied Wanting to Sign the Checks

The Washington Post, which first reported that Trump’s name would appear on the checks, said the name would be below a line that reads, “Economic Impact Payment.”

The checks will be mailed to people who do not have information on file with the IRS to allow for direct deposits, many of them low-income individuals.

The checks will carry a signature of an official from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, the Treasury division that prints the checks. The checks are signed by civil servants to ensure government payments are nonpartisan. A president is not an authorized signer for money sent by the U.S. Treasury.

Earlier this month, Trump denied wanting to sign the checks when he was asked about published reports stating the opposite.

“No. Me sign? No,” Trump said at an April 3 briefing. “There’s millions of checks. I’m going to sign them? No. It’s a Trump administration initiative. But do I want to sign them? No.”

The payments are part of the $2.2 trillion rescue package signed into law at the end of last month aimed at combating the economic free-fall caused by shutdown orders in the coronavirus pandemic.

The Payment Amount Steadily Declines for Those Who Make More

A memo obtained last week by the AP from the House Ways and Means Committee said the IRS would make about 60 million payments to Americans through direct deposit in mid-April, likely this week. The IRS has direct deposit information for these individuals from their 2018 or 2019 tax returns.

Then, starting the week of May 4, the memo said, the IRS would begin issuing paper checks to individuals. It said the paper checks would be issued at a rate of about 5 million per week, which means it could take up to 20 weeks to get all the checks out.

Anyone who earns up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income and who has a Social Security number will receive a $1,200 payment. That means married couples filing joint returns will receive the full payment, $2,400, if their adjusted gross income is under $150,000.

The payment amount steadily declines for those who make more. Those earning more than $99,000, or $198,000 for joint filers, are ineligible. For heads of household with one child, the benefit starts to decline at $112,500 and falls to zero at $146,500.

Parents also will receive $500 for each qualifying child.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

DON'T MISS

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

DON'T MISS

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

DON'T MISS

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

DON'T MISS

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

DON'T MISS

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

DON'T MISS

Companies Cut Prices to Boost Sales, Consumers Respond

DON'T MISS

Stay Cool, Fresno!

UP NEXT

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

UP NEXT

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues NBA for Not Accepting Its Matching Offer

UP NEXT

Netanyahu Will Meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Mending a Yearslong Rift

UP NEXT

Watch: Breaking Down Netanyahu’s Speech in Congress

UP NEXT

Recall of Boar’s Head Deli Meats Announced During Investigation of Listeria Outbreak

UP NEXT

Uvalde, Texas, School Officer Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Failing to Protect Kids During Attack

UP NEXT

Spicy Dispute Over the Origins of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Winds up in Court

UP NEXT

Harris Tells Netanyahu ‘It Is Time’ to Get Hostage Deal Done and End Gaza War

UP NEXT

Biden and Netanyahu Meet With a Show of Amiable Relations Despite Tensions

UP NEXT

Fresno County Sheriff Thanks Community for Their Help in Finding Relatives of Deceased Man

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

3 hours ago

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

4 hours ago

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

5 hours ago

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

5 hours ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

5 hours ago

Companies Cut Prices to Boost Sales, Consumers Respond

5 hours ago

Stay Cool, Fresno!

6 hours ago

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues NBA for Not Accepting Its Matching Offer

6 hours ago

Tanker Plane Crash Kills Firefighting Pilot in Oregon as Western Wildfires Spread

6 hours ago

Will Bonta Election Lawsuit Reverse the Will of Fresno County Voters?

6 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

The arch of colorful balloons over the doorway of a storefront on Shaw Avenue in Clovis was a clue that something exciting was happening on ...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

3 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

3 hours ago

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

3 hours ago

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

4 hours ago

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

5 hours ago

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

5 hours ago

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

5 hours ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend