The first round of stimulus checks are ready to be sent out to a select group of American citizens, but there may be a delay for everyone else expecting paper checks. According to a report made by The Washington Post, President Donald Trump has insisted that his name be included on the stimulus checks. The Treasury Department has reportedly contacted the IRS about Trump's request, halting distribution of the $2 trillion funds to citizens until Trump's signature is added. Presidential signatures aren't needed or required.
The Post writes that Trump's name being printed on the checks was something that had been discussed for quite some time. However, a final decision wasn't made until today (April 14), causing concern that this would push back mailout dates. "The team, working from home, is now racing to implement a programming change that two senior IRS officials said will probably lead to a delay in issuing the first batch of paper checks," The Post reports. "They are scheduled to be sent Thursday to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service for printing and issuing."
However, the report was refuted. "Economic Impact Payment checks are scheduled to go out on time and exactly as planned—there is absolutely no delay whatsoever," a representative for the Treasury Department shared in a written statement. She added that when President George Bush issued checks in 2008 during the recession, the process was much longer. "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."
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