Democrat Ron Wyden pressed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Tuesday on the decision to put President Trump’s name on relief checks, accusing him of politicizing the agency’s work.
“I am concerned by reports that Economic Impact Payments to Americans will be delayed by the unprecedented decision to print ‘President Donald J. Trump’ on the checks,” the Oregon senator wrote to the treasury secretary.
The decision could have political consequences since voters could misinterpret the president’s name being on the check as indicating the money came from him and not the federal government, Wyden said.
“I request details about how you made this decision to benefit the president politically,” wrote Wyden, who is the Senate Finance Committee’s ranking member.
Mnuchin on Monday said that it was his idea to put the president’s name on the check.
“That was my idea. He is the president, and I think it’s a terrific symbol to the American public,” Mnuchin told CNN.
The treasury secretary also said that putting the president’s name on the check has not delayed its delivery. Trump’s name is in the memo portion of the check. If he had signed the checks, then delivery would have been delayed, Mnuchin said.
The CARES Act provided payments to individuals and families, with U.S. adults earning $75,000 or less receiving $1,200 for individuals, $2,400 for married couples, and an additional $500 per child. Taxpayers have already started to receive recovery payments via direct deposit.
Wyden’s letter to Mnuchin seeks to “clarify several aspects of this decision,” including if “the name of any President ever before appeared on a check drawn against an account of the Department of Treasury.”
Tax rebate checks were included in the 2001 tax cut bill that was enacted by President George W. Bush. The checks did not have the president’s name on them, but the president’s name, along with the words “United States Congress,” was on the memo that accompanied the check.
