Stimulus check update – Treasury says people with direct deposit will get $1,400 Covid relief payments first

THE Treasury has said people with direct deposits will get their $1,400 Covid relief payments first.

President Joe Biden's $1.9trillion stimulus bill was approved on Wednesday afternoon.

Following the news, the Treasury confirmed that the first batch of $1,400 stimulus checks will be going to those who gave their direct debit information in their 2019 and 2020 tax filings.

Those who received their cash via direct debit for the first and second round of checks also received theirs quicker.

Following those with a direct debit, the next round of recipients will be those who have their information on file with the Internal Revenue Service due to other government programs.

For Americans that do not have their banking details on file with the IRS, they will receive paper checks and EIP cards.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that the Treasury Department and the IRS has been working to get payments out by the end of the month.

"The IRS and Bureau of the Fiscal Service are building on lessons learned from previous rounds to increase the number of households that will get electronic payments, which are substantially faster than checks," she said.

Psaki also said on Wednesday that Biden will sign the bill on Friday, meaning that Americans could start receiving their checks this week.

However, Biden's name will not appear on this third round of stimulus checks. Psaki said this is in order to "expedite the payments and not delay them."

"This is not about him, this is about the American people getting relief," Psaki added.

Speaking after the bill was passed by the House, the president told reporters the American Rescue Plan is about "putting patriotism and public health first."

Biden hailed Johnson & Johnsons "historic, nearly unprecedented collaboration" with US pharmaceutical company Merck, comparing it to two automakers working together during World War II.

"The vaccines bring hope and healing in so many ways," Biden said, after boasting about the 2.9 million doses distributed across America on Saturday alone.

"Again, a vaccinated American is the only way to beat the pandemic, get our economy back on track, and for us to get back our lives and our loved ones."

He promised to discuss the next phase of the US government's Covid response when he addresses the nation tomorrow evening on primetime TV.

Biden reminded people of why the relief bill was "so critical", before he thanked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for passing the relief bill, before revealing he "looks forward" to signing it later this week.

"This bill represents a historic victory for the American people," he said.

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