Trump's Name Will Appear On Stimulus Cheques

President Donald Trump’s name will be printed on the economic stimulus cheques that will be distributed by the Internal Revenue Service to individuals to help mitigate losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The addition, which was ordered by the Treasury Department, is expected to delay the delivery of paper cheques by several days, according to the Post, which cited unnamed senior agency officials. The phrase “President Donald J. Trump” will be printed in a memo line on the left side of the cheques (most will total $1,200 for individuals), below a line that says “Economic Impact Payment.”

After the IRS adjusts its printing technology for this addition, tens of millions of Americans are expected to receive these checks in the mail in the coming weeks.

NBC News also confirmed the report Tuesday night.

The decision to add Trump’s name to the cheques was reportedly finalised late Monday and announced to the IRS’s information technology team on Tuesday, the Post reported, citing a Treasury Department official.

This is the first time a president’s name will appear on a payment from the IRS.

The White House did not immediately return HuffPost’s request for comment.

The cheques are a part of the government’s $2 trillion effort to stimulate the tanking economy as the coronavirus pandemic shuts down much of the country. The IRS will need to add computer coding to include Trump’s name in the cheques’ printing process, then test the system before sending out the checks, according to the Post.

The newspaper also reported that Trump privately suggested to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that the president should sign the stimulus cheques. However, the US president is not an authorised signer for payments made by the Treasury.

Senator Brian Schatz said in a tweet that Trump was directly causing the delay of these cheques to Americans who need them to continue paying bills.

“You are getting your money late because the President thinks it is more important that his name be on the cheque than that you are able to pay your bills on time,” Schatz tweeted. “This is not a rhetorical flourish. The checks are delayed. Because Trump.”

Representative Steve Cohen described the addition as an “unprecedented, cheap political stunt.”