The United States Treasury Department officials were surprised when then-President Donald Trumpinsisted that his name be printed on the initial round of COVID-19 relief stimulus checks. With the passing of President Joe Biden‘s American Rescue Plan stimulus, the new president declared that he will not be putting his name on the checks, saying that it isn’t “a priority or a necessary step.”
“We are doing everything in our power to expedite the payments and not delay them, which is why the president’s name will not appear on the memo line of this round of stimulus checks,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “This is not about him. This is about the American people getting relief.”
Trump’s insistence that his name be printed on stimulus checks delayed them from being sent for several days the Internal Revenue Service said in 2020.
The American Rescue Plan will direct massive financial aid aimed to help those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 90% of Americans, including most dependents, will receive the $1,400 checks. Americans on unemployment or receiving jobless benefits will gain an additional $300 per week and jobless benefits will be extended through September, $350 billion will be given to state and local governments to assist K-12 schools, $12 billion will be provided in nutrition assistance, food stamp beneficiaries will continue to receive a 15% increase in stipend until September, and several billion dollars will go to assist small businesses, vaccine research and vaccine distribution.
