White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that President Biden’s name will not appear on stimulus checks that will be sent to many Americans after the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill is passed.
The decision represents a break with the previous administration, as former President Trump’s name appeared on stimulus checks sent by the Internal Revenue Service to millions of Americans.
“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,” Psaki told reporters at an afternoon briefing. “The checks will be signed by a career official at the Bureau of Fiscal Service. This is not about [Biden]. This is about the American people getting relief.”
Psaki said that the president did not believe it was “necessary” to have his name printed on the checks.
“He wanted to get them out as quickly as possible,” Psaki said.
Trump’s name was printed on tens of millions of checks sent to Americans under his administration in what was an unprecedented move. The Biden White House is reverting back to the usual practice of having a career employee sign payments issued by the Treasury Department.
The Washington Post reported last year that the former president privately suggested to then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that Trump’s name be on the checks.
The House is poised to pass Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal on Wednesday, sending it to the president’s desk for his signature. The bill includes funding for $1,400 payments to go to Americans who make up to $75,000, heads of households who make up to $112,500 and married couples who jointly make up to $150,000.
The White House expects many Americans to receive payments by the end of the month.