Biden's name will not appear on stimulus checks, Psaki says
Biden expects 'large number' of Americans to receive checks by end of March
President Biden's name will not appear on stimulus checks that will be sent to Americans if the coronavirus stimulus package — the American Rescue Plan — passes and is signed into law.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday told reporters that the president's name would not appear on the memo line, unlike the two direct payment checks last year that included former President Donald Trump's name.
"The first batch of checks will go to those who provided direct deposit information in 2020 or 2019, followed by those who the IRS has information on," Psaki said.
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"This is not about him, this is about the American people getting relief," she added. "He did not think it was a priority or a necessary step."
The stimulus checks, the first of the Biden administration, will be sent to eligible Americans once the American Rescue Plan is signed into law. The House is expected to give final congressional approval in the coming days.
The cash payments included in the nearly $2 trillion stimulus bill are the largest yet, with individuals earning $75,000 or less eligible to receive $1,400. Couples earning $150,000 or less will receive a check worth $2,800. Households will receive an additional $1,400 for each dependent child claimed on their most-recent tax filings.
As with the two previous rounds of direct payments, Americans who earn more than the threshold line will still receive a partial check. But the money will phase out faster than previous rounds, cutting off payments for roughly 16 million Americans who qualified for previous relief payments, according to a preliminary analysis published by the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
Individuals making $80,000 a year or more and couples making $160,000 a year, or higher, no longer qualify for the checks, meaning that anyone earning between $80,000 and $100,000 (and couples earning between $160,000 and $200,000) are newly excluded from a partial check under the legislation.
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Once Congress approves the emergency aid bill, Biden needs to sign the legislation to release the money; he's widely expected to do so before Sunday, when two key jobless aid programs are set to expire.
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The IRS and Treasury Department would then distribute the cash payments through direct deposit, mailed checks and prepaid debit cards.
Psaki said Monday that Biden expects a "large number" of Americans to receive checks by the end of March.
FOX Business' Blake Burman and Megan Henney contributed to this report.