Trump administration sends $ 1,4 billion in financial aid to coronavirus

The US Audit Chamber said that payments of almost $ 1,1 dead were sent to the accounts of $ 1200 each, writes The Guardian.

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The Trump administration sent nearly $ 1,4 billion in payments in connection with the coronavirus pandemic to dead people, according to a report from its own monitoring body.

In a report published on Thursday, June 25, the US Accounts Chamber (USGAO) said that as of April 30, payments of about $ 1,1 to each were sent to the accounts of nearly 1200 million dead people.

The total financial assistance to US residents in connection with the coronavirus amounted to about $ 3 trillion in the form of economic assistance approved by Congress in March and April.

Need for material support continues: June 25 it was statedthat 1,48 million more Americans have applied for unemployment assistance in the week of June 15-21, with the result that the total number of people who have lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic was about 47 million.

Donald Trump stands for further payments. But the president does not coincide in this opinion with many Republicans in Congress, who may block new steps in the direction of the second package of financial assistance.

According to the USGAO, payments to the dead occurred because the system used to send money was based on the principle that was used during the Great Recession of 2008, and it was not synchronized between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the US Treasury, therefore, it did not take into account the records of death as a filter.

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“The number of Pandemic Economic Impact Payments sent to the deceased,” the report said, “underscores the importance of consistent use of key safeguards in providing government assistance to individuals.”

"The IRS has access to a full list of deaths according to the Social Security Administration, but the Treasury and its Bureau of Fiscal Services, which distribute payments, do not have this access."

“The USGAO recommends that Congress provide the Treasury with access to the full list of death records according to the Social Security Administration and require the Treasury to use it consistently to help reduce similar types of inappropriate payments.”

The IRS said that payments made to the deceased (or prisoner) should be returned.

Explaining why these payments occurred and the Accounts Chamber’s research on them was necessary, the USGAO says: “The COVID-19 outbreak was spreading rapidly around the world. According to federal agencies, as of June 17, 2020, more than 2 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 100 registered deaths were registered in the United States. ”

On the subject: 'Very generous' and soon: Trump spoke about the second wave of help in connection with the coronavirus

According to Worldometer, as of the morning of June 26, more than 2,5 million cases of the disease and more than 126 thousand deaths were recorded in the United States.

Despite an increase in the number of cases in the states, mainly led by Republicans who are trying to reopen the economy, the Trump administration went to the cessation of financing 13 coronavirus test sites, including 7 in Texas, to reduce the reported number of cases of virus infection.

Wednesday, June 24, in one day in the USA 45 new cases of coronavirus were reported, which is the highest since April.

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The labor market after COVID-19: what vacancies will be in demand in the USA and the world

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