Without President Joe Biden's name, Americans will receive a fresh series of stimulus checks, according to the White House on Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump's name was featured on the first direct payments sent following his signing of a bill Congress passed in March last year.
Biden's Name Not Included in Stimulus Checks
White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated on Tuesday that the next series of paper checks would bear career official at the Treasury Department's Bureau of the Fiscal Service's signature. According to House Democratic leaders on Tuesday, they have the votes to provide final congressional approval to the president's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.
Physical stimulus checks transferred to American households in 2020 involved a note on the bottom left with Biden's predecessor. Individuals receiving electronic stimulus payments were also sent a letter signed by the former president.
House Democratic leaders stated on Tuesday they have the votes to provide final congressional approval to Biden's novel coronavirus relief bill. Passage has not been in serious question. However, the leaders' confidence underscored the unity of Democrats through their efforts, reported Associated Press.
The $1,400 direct payments are anticipated to be disseminated after the House of Representatives votes on Wednesday on the Senate's version of Biden's coronavirus relief package. Psaki remarked in a press conference, "We are doing everything in our power to expedite the payments and not delay them, which is why the president's will not appear on the memo line of this round of stimulus checks." She added this is not about him and that this is about the nearly 160 million of the American public receiving relief, reported The Epoch Times.
The vote on the plan is slated on Wednesday. Four days after the Senate passed a modestly reworked version of the bill, House approval will clinch the president's most major early legislative achievement. Psaki remarked the federal government is looking to expand electronic payments. They are "substantially faster" than checks.
Psaki stated Biden did not believe the inclusion of his signature on the payments was a priority or was necessary. His priority was on disseminating them as swiftly as possible instead of branding them as courtesy of Biden.
Former President Donald Trump insisted in April 2020 after over $2 trillion in COVID-19 aid was approved that his name be on the $1,200 relief cheques. This was a first of any president. The media personality and the real estate tycoon plastered his name on steaks, skyscrapers, a board game, menswear, bottled water, vodka, and a real estate training program he named as "Trump University."
Biden is looking to sign the plan as soon as Congress passes it. Psaki said the initial checks would be distributed before the end of the month. They will be in the form of electronic payments to individuals who have set up direct deposit with the IRS.
According to the White House, Biden's proposal will invest $20 billion in a national vaccination program. This will involve initiating community vaccination centers across the country and deploying mobile inoculation units to hard-to-reach areas.
