By NATE CHURCH
Americans struggling to survive on federal benefits have waited weeks for word on their share of the $1.9 trillion stimulus.
Some of the countryâs most vulnerable citizens have been waiting weeks for the next round of promised financial aid from President Joe Bidenâs $1.9 trillion âAmerican Rescue Planâ coronavirus relief package, with no indication of when it would come. Chief among those are the millions of elderly Americans who depend on federal assistance to survive.
As of March 24, nearly 30 million had yet to receive their portion, largely because the Social Security Administration had ânot sent the necessary payment filesâ to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Despite a March 12 assurance the money would be delivered âshortly,â weeks passed before the IRS had access to the necessary information to follow through.
âTo me, âshortlyâ is two to three days, not two weeks,â 65-year-old Floridian retiree Mark Stevens said. âPeople in my situation are feeling lied to.â In a March 22 letter from the House Ways and Means Committee, they highlighted the dire position of veterans, seniors, and disabled Americans.
âSome of our most vulnerable seniors and persons with disabilities, including veterans who served our country with honor, are unable to pay for basic necessities while they wait for their overdue payments.â
The committee pressured the IRS and SSA for information as to the delay, according to a spokesperson. After a March 25 statement by SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul claiming the issue was a lack of staff funding, the committee publicly expressed their skepticism.
âOn background from a Committee aide, funds could not be directly appropriated because of the reconciliation process,â the spokesperson said, âbut they were appropriated to Treasury with the intent that they would be distributed to SSA in a timely manner, so this line of defense doesnât hold.â
The spokesperson characterized the issue as a lack of leadership. âIt inexplicably took two weeks for the transfer to happen after the American Rescue Plan was signed into law, which is a clear failure of leadership from SSA,â they said.
While they waited, social security recipients were told not to contact the SSA with their questions â referring them to the IRS. âPlease do not contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) with questions about EIPs,â the SSA said. âOur representatives do not have information to answer your EIP questions. The IRS, not SSA, processes all EIPs.â
Today the Biden administration announced the relief money would be provided by April 7. White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain celebrated the announcement on social media. âWell over 100m of the $1400 checks have hit bank accounts. But we know that checks to seniors who do not file taxes are lagging,â Klain tweeted Tuesday afternoon, in response to NBS News White House correspondent Geoff Bennettâs reporting.
Well over 100m of the $1400 checks have hit bank accounts. But we know that checks to seniors who do not file taxes are lagging.
Today, we are announcing that the majority of these $1400 checks will be to seniors by April 7th! Help is here! https://t.co/7g5uVVQ0n9
— Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) March 30, 2021
âToday, we are announcing that the majority of these $1400 checks will be to seniors by April 7th! Help is here!â he said. Those who responded were thankful, if leery. âThank you for your reporting. Iâm having kittens waiting,â one user wrote. âIâs[sic] nice news,â another added, âbut Iâm not holding my breath!â