Stimulus checks to millions of Americans have been delayed because Donald Trump demanded his name appear on them, even though he's not legally authorized to sign them.
The NYT reports: “The decision to have Mr. Trump's name on the checks, a break in protocol, was made by the Treasury Department after Mr. Trump suggested the idea to Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, according to a department official.”
The Washington Post reports: “The decision to have the paper checks bear Trump's name, in the works for weeks, according to a Treasury official, was announced early Tuesday to the IRS's information technology team. The team, working from home, is now racing to implement a programming change that two senior IRS officials said will probably lead to a delay in issuing the first batch of paper checks. They are scheduled to be sent Thursday to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service for printing and issuing. Computer code must be changed to include the president's name, and the system must be tested, these officials said.”
An IRS quality control official said the change “will create a downstream snarl that will result in a delay” but Treasury Department officials disputed that claim.
