The final decision to add the president’s signature in the Memo section of the economic stimulus checks is a break in protocol for the Treasury Department, according to the New York Times. It all came about after Trump suggested the idea to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, according to a department official.
The Washington Post calls it an “unprecedented decision”—no president has ever had his name appear on an IRS disbursement—and one that could possibly delay the arrival of said checks. The delay could cause some problems because the IRS technology team wasn’t notified until Tuesday that the stimulus check would include Trump’s name.
Because of this last-minute decision, many employees working from home had to rush to change necessary computer codes. The checks are scheduled to be sent to the Bureau of Fiscal Service on Thursday for printing.
“Any last-minute request like this will create a downstream snarl that will result in a delay,” says Chad Hooper, national president of the IRS’ Professional Managers Association. However, a Treasury Department spokeswoman says: “Economic Impact Payment checks are scheduled to go out on time and exactly as planned—there is absolutely no delay whatsoever.”
Still, Hooper is calling the move an “abuse of government resources.” He goes on to say, “Anything that takes our focus from getting those checks out the door and hampers the equitable, fair administration of the tax code is not something we can support.”
The Denver Channel notes that “the president cannot be an authorized signer for legal disbursements by the Treasury. Standard practice calls for a civil servant to sign the checks to ensure government payments are non-partisan.”
Treasury and I.R.S. officials briefed House Democrats earlier this month and said the paper checks would be issued at a rate of about five million per week, beginning the week of May 4, for up to 20 weeks. There was no mention of Trump’s name appearing on the checks.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, was critical of the president’s move to include his signature. “Donald Trump is further delaying cash payments to millions of Americans struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table to feed his ego,” Mr. Wyden said. “Only this president would try to make a pandemic and economic catastrophe all about him.”
