The relief checks being sent to millions of Americans will have President Trump’s name on them, the Washington Post reported late Tuesday.
While most of the Economic Impact Payments, worth as much as $1,200 per adult, are being deposited electronically, the millions of people who will receive their money in the mail will see Trump’s name on the bottom left of the checks.
Trump had originally asked Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin if he could sign the checks, according to the Post’s Lisa Rein, but presidents do not have the legal authority to do so. “It is standard practice for a civil servant to sign checks issued by the Treasury Department to ensure that government payments are nonpartisan,” Rein said.
Nina Olson, who served as the National Taxpayer Advocate for 18 years, said that Trump’s move was “absolutely unprecedented.”
Treasury officials said Wednesday that, contrary to earlier reports, the effort to include the president’s name will not cause any delays in sending out the checks. “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 agency said in a statement.
