A letter from President Biden

By Alex P. Vidal

“Letters had always defeated distance, but with the coming of e-mail, time seemed to be vanquished as well.”—Thomas Mallon

I WAS a little bit worried when I recently received a letter from the Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service in Austin, Texas.

I thought it had something to do with my “late” federal income tax filing, which I earlier learned was extended from April 15, 2021 to May 17, 2021.

When I opened the letter, it contained my name and address below the letterhead that read: “THE WHITE HOUSE Washington Notice Date: April 29, 2021 Notice Number: 1444-C (en-sp).”

Read part of the letter signed by President Joseph R. Biden Jr.: “My fellow American, On March 11, 2021, I signed into law the American Rescue Plan, a law that will help vaccinate America and deliver immediate economic relief to hundreds of Americans, including you.

“A key part of the American Rescue Plan is direct payment of $1,400 per person for most American households. With the $600 direct payment from December, this brings the total relief payment up to $2,000. This fulfills a promise I made to you, and will help get millions of Americans through this crisis.”

Americans who got a stimulus check from the federal government during the third round of direct payments this spring can also expect a letter from President Joe Biden.

The IRS said about 78 million of Mr. Biden’s letters had been mailed as of April 30 and the mailings would continue as it processed more of the stimulus payments.

Mr. Biden informed the recipient how much he or she was eligible to receive under the new law.

The letter, written in English and Spanish, also included a phone number and IRS website address, where eligible recipients can track the status of their checks.

 

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The one-page letter has started arriving in the mailboxes of recipients, and mailed by the Internal Revenue Service but written on White House stationery and includes Mr. Biden’s signature at the bottom.

It is similar to a letter that former President Donald Trump sent out last year, prompting accusations that he was politicizing the IRS, according to USA Today.

Addressed to “My fellow American,” the letter touted Mr. Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that provided emergency assistance to eligible Americans, including direct payments of up to $1,400.

“When I took office, I promised the American people that help was on the way,” Biden wrote. “The American Rescue Plan makes good on that promise.”

The IRS said in a statement that the letter was required under the American Rescue Plan, but it later issued an updated statement that deleted that sentence, reported the USA Today.

 

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The agency said the original statement contained “a technical error.” The law directs the Treasury Department to notify those who are eligible for a stimulus check but doesn’t explicitly state who should send that notice.

A government watchdog group that slammed Mr. Trump for sending out his letter after the first round of stimulus payments said Mr.  Biden’s letter also was a bad idea.

“While what we see here from President Biden is not as bad as what we saw from President Trump—namely insisting the checks feature his signature, potentially delaying them at the worst possible time – that doesn’t make it good,” said Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Mr.  Trump started “a troubling trend of using taxpayer resources to send self-serving letters to the public,” Libowitz said. “Biden would be smart to put this practice out to pasture along with a lot of the behavior from his predecessor.”

About 163 million stimulus checks totaling about $384 billion have been distributed to those who are eligible for the money since Mr. Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law in March.

Most of the money was distributed via direct deposit, but about 850,000 people received a paper check because the IRS reportedly didn’t have direct deposit information for them.

 

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I received another letter dated May 10, 2021 from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo which he also regularly sent to other New Yorkers:

Dear Alex, As the progress in the fight against COVID continues, we are taking new action to bring the vaccine directly to New Yorkers. From May 12 through May 16, eight new pop-up vaccination sites will open at MTA stations in the New York City, Long Island and Mid-Hudson regions. Getting a shot at these pop-up sites also comes with a perk: You will get a free seven-day MetroCard or a free round-trip Long Island Rail Road or Metro-North ticket. The more New Yorkers are vaccinated, the safer our state is for everyone, and we’ll continue to pursue all avenues to encourage people to get vaccinated. So stop by an MTA pop-up site, roll up your sleeve and let’s get vaccinated, New York.

Here’s what else you need to know tonight:

1. COVID hospitalizations dropped to 2,016. Of the 110,541 tests reported yesterday, 1,580, or 1.43 percent, were positive. The 7-day average percent positivity was 1.40 percent. There were 493 patients in ICU yesterday, down 18 from the previous day. Of them, 301 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 27 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. As of 11 am this morning, 60.2 percent of adult New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose. Over the past 24 hours, 112,510 total doses have been administered. To date, New York administered 16,826,409 total doses with 48.9 percent of adult New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See additional data on the State’s Vaccine Tracker.
3. Nassau Coliseum will have a fully vaccinated fan section for the New York Islanders playoff games which are anticipated to start on May 19. To end the Islanders’ last season at the Coliseum, 50 percent of the Coliseum will be used as a fully vaccinated fan section with attendees spaced approximately 3 feet apart—an unoccupied seat between each party—in assigned, seated sections that are designated solely for fully vaccinated individuals. Playoff tickets go on sale tomorrow, May 11.
4. All SUNY and CUNY schools will require vaccinations for all in-person students beginning Fall 2021. This requirement is subject to the FDA providing full approval for the vaccine, beyond the current emergency use authorization. Certain medical and religious exemptions will be permitted. I encourage all private colleges & universities to require vaccinations as well.

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: This Mother’s Day weekend, foster care parents in New York City were honored for their care and service. May is also National Foster Care Month and the Children’s Village, a charitable organization, awarded five foster care parents awards for their contributions towards the children they fostered. Sharon Johnson received the “Longest Service Foster Parent” award; she has been caring for foster children for more than 35 years. Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)