(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden’s name will be left off the next round of stimulus checks in a bid to speed distribution to Americans, the White House said Tuesday.
“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,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. “The checks will be signed by a career official at the Bureau of Fiscal Service.”
Democrats criticized the addition of former President Donald Trump’s name to an earlier round of coronavirus stimulus checks, saying the move politicized the payments and slowed down their distribution.
But a spokesperson for Trump’s Treasury Department said the checks were not delayed by the change, and noted that the stimulus payments were sent out faster than payments made during the 2008 stimulus.
The decision by the White House comes despite officials -- including Psaki -- saying the administration needed to “do some work” to highlight the benefits of the coronavirus stimulus bill championed by Biden for ordinary Americans.
“He didn’t think that was a priority or a necessary step,” Psaki said. “His focus was on getting them out as soon as possible.”
Most of the estimated 160 million Americans set to receive payments under the bill -- which the House of Representatives is poised to approve Wednesday -- won’t receive paper checks at all. For most, the money will be distributed via direct deposit to banking accounts used to pay their taxes or receive refunds.
Individuals who earn as much as $75,000, or couples making $150,000 - plus their children or adult dependents – will qualify for $1,400 payments under the bill. The amount will decrease for those making more money; individuals with incomes of $80,000 or higher or couples making over $160,000 will not receive payments.
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