Report: About 9 million can’t get COVID-19 stimulus checks

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• According to a report released by the Government Accountability Office, over 8.7 million Americans might not be able to receive COVID-19 stimulus checks because of incomplete records from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department.
• The report said that those people with deficient records are “outside of the tax system” and “likely to be very low-income,” who are in dire need of money.
• President Donald Trump has urged the Senate to pass another round of coronavirus relief package, saying he wants to see people getting money.

About millions of Americans are on the verge of missing to get COVID-19 stimulus checks because of deficient records from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department, based on a report by a government watchdog.

According to a 371-page assessment released by the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog responsible for doing auditing and evaluation, over 8.7 million people might not get a $1,200 coronavirus aid since they lack proper records despite being eligible.

The Government Accountability Office stated in the report that both the IRS and the Treasury do not hold the exact figures of people qualified to receive a stimulus check.

Based on the report, the lack of “such information could hinder outreach efforts and place potentially millions of individuals at risk of missing their payment.”

It continued: “Without an updated estimate, the Treasury, the IRS, other federal agencies, and IRS’ outreach partners are limited in their ability to appropriately scale and target outreach and communication efforts to individuals who may be eligible for a payment.”

Referring to a group working with the IRS to increase the information about COVID-19 cash assistance, the report concluded that those eligible beneficiaries are “outside of the tax system” and “likely to be very low-income,” adding that those people are “therefore most in need of the money.”

President Donald Trump has urged the Senate to promulgate another coronavirus-aid package. He particularly asked the GOP lawmakers to act on it.

“I want to see people get money,” the president said in a White House press conference last week.

Last March, Trump signed a $2 trillion economic relief package aimed at helping the Americans cope up with the pandemic given its overwhelming impact on the country’s economy. The package includes relief assistance of S1,200 which was disbursed to millions of US citizens across the country.

Until now, Congress has struggled to pass another round of COVID-19 relief legislation as Democratic and Republican lawmakers have failed to reach a consensus. House Democrats passed a $3.4 trillion stimulus package in May but got blocked by Senate leaders. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the proposal had “no chance of becoming a law.”

According to the latest tracking by John Hopkins University, there are over 6.8 million cases of coronavirus in the US, with a death toll of nearly 200,000  due to COVID-19.

Source: Business Insider