# Trump is wasting taxpayer money sending superfluous letters to take credit for the stimulus payments **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 2, 2020, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012 "2020-05-02T03:55:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/21 "2020-05-02T19:41:00Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Okay, I found some links to the news item I saw a few days ago. These refer more particularly to the actual checks with his signature on them. > > [These lawyers say Trump’s name on stimulus checks might be a crime](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/these-lawyers-say-donald-j-trumps-name-should-not-be-on-stimulus-checks/2020/04/29/086ac1bc-88cc-11ea-9759-6d20ba0f2c0e_story.html), Joe Davidson, _Washington Post_, April 30, 2020. > > [Barr Should Appoint a Special Counsel to Investigate How Trump’s Signature Ended Up on Pandemic Checks, Letter Says](https://lawandcrime.com/covid-19-pandemic/lawyers-barr-needs-to-appoint-a-special-counsel-to-investigate-how-trumps-signature-ended-up-on-pandemic-checks/), Jerry Lambe, _[lawandcrime.com](http://lawandcrime.com)_, April 20, 2020. > > A former government attorney, a constitutional scholar, and a former presidential candidate ask Attorney General William Barr to appoint a special counsel to investigate. > > (Fat chance that’s going to happen.) The problem with that argument is interpreting the Hatch Act so broadly would punish a politician for everything because generally everything a politician does is designed to help his reelection. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/22 "2020-05-02T19:43:00Z")
We have received neither our check nor a letter. I guess that counts as a win. Oh, and neither have we received information on the small business funds we applied for, either. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/23 "2020-05-02T20:15:30Z")
> [@Isosleepy](#): > > Send it back to whom? This money came from the US government. So, in the end, all of us who will pay taxes in the next 5 decades. By sending the money to the U.S. Treasury: [https://fiscal.treasury.gov/public/gifts-to-government.html](https://fiscal.treasury.gov/public/gifts-to-government.html) ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/24 "2020-05-02T21:27:36Z")
I my question should have been more precise: why should the dislike of that letter be reason to send back money issued by the government? In what rational mind does that connect? I know it does to some people, but I thought they were all too busy protesting on the Michigan statehouse steps explaining how Bill and Melinda Gates invented Covid19 to give us all the mark of the beast, mixed with a little flat earth theory and why their unvaccinated kids thrive because crystals. Oh and 5G bad. By the way, I received neither money nor letter ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/25 "2020-05-02T21:32:30Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > The board was hacked 6 years ago; Really? Well, that explains some of the extortionate e-mails I’ve gotten from hackers bragging about owning a password I haven’t used in years… Also amusing when they claim to have video of me jacking off to porn sites when 1) I haven’t visited porn on the internet in, oh, probably 15 years or more and 2) my computer doesn’t have a camera attached to it. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/26 "2020-05-02T22:19:01Z")
While I don’t like the guy, the postage for those letters costs less than the non-complete vehicles my company might have to throw away because all of the glue expired while we were forced to shut down. Really, if we’d had just one day of notice, it’d not be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/27 "2020-05-02T23:34:25Z")
I read the letter (got it today) and my initial feelings is this an example of ‘mid-level bureaucrat’ writing–not Trump himself. I should know, I was one (GS-12/13) for a lot of years. For four of those years I was in the United Arab Emirates as a ‘liaison’ for a Foreign Military Sale we had done. Many times I was asked to write a letter either to the customer or asked by the customer to write something to the USG, often things people didn’t want to hear or guaranteed to tick them off. I learned to write very carefully during that time and managed to (mostly) not tick off various Colonels and Generals on both sides. And I think this letter came from the same source. “I” only appears 3 times in the letter (I proudly signed, I want to thank, I am pleased), while ‘we’ appears 6 times. He thanks the Congress (including the House by name) and does not say he is providing the check, but that “by the CARES Act, you are”. And that the other side is in Spanish is a giveaway as Trump would probably never think of that. So my guess is that if he even read the letter, he didn’t understand it or thought it praised him enough, so he went ahead and signed it (and BTW, the signature looks like something from the Lord of the Rings…). Bureaucracy always wins. Which doesn’t stop me from adding it to the shredder pile. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/28 "2020-05-03T04:19:05Z")
It was not a complete waste of taxpayer money, as it provided me with a bit of toilet paper, which is in short supply now. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/29 "2020-05-03T12:12:51Z")
> [@Manlob](#): > > Why don’t you send your check back with Trump’s note, explaining why you refuse to accept it? Because the check is a legitimate bipartisan stimulus check, and Trump’s note is illegal campaigning? I will say this, I didn’t find any obvious grammatical mistakes in the letter that would have suggested Trump or one of his odious family had a hand in the final product. ---
**Author:** ![Manlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Manlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manlob)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/30 "2020-05-03T19:11:42Z")
The IRS was going to send a letter for security reasons anyway to inform people within 15 days of their payment that there was a payment made in their name, the amount, and how that payment was made (direct deposit or check). The letter from Trump includes that information along with some encouraging words for those concerned about their future health, safety, and economic well-being. Also given is why the money was sent, for those unaware, and thanks to the House and Senate for passing the CARES Act. It is just hypersensitive Trump hating to misconstrue that as an attempted bribe or a campaign propaganda letter, unless you count giving people what they want as campaigning. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/31 "2020-05-03T19:35:37Z")
> [@Manlob](#): > > The IRS was going to send a letter for security reasons anyway to inform people within 15 days of their payment that there was a payment made in their name, the amount, and how that payment was made (direct deposit or check). > > The letter from Trump includes that information along with some encouraging words for those concerned about their future health, safety, and economic well-being. Also given is why the money was sent, for those unaware, and thanks to the House and Senate for passing the CARES Act. It is just hypersensitive Trump hating to misconstrue that as an attempted bribe or a campaign propaganda letter, unless you count giving people what they want as campaigning. If the IRS was going to send the letter, they should have. Trump is just taking advantage of the situation for his personal gain. It’s probably not an impeachable offense, but it might be (Hatch Act). ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/32 "2020-05-03T20:30:44Z")
> [@Manlob](#): > > It is just hypersensitive Trump hating to misconstrue that as an attempted bribe or a campaign propaganda letter, unless you count giving people what they want as campaigning. Be not concerned. My Trump hatred is a precision instrument that is calibrated daily. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/33 "2020-05-03T20:43:40Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > It’s probably not an impeachable offense, but it might be (Hatch Act). Let’s take a president who holds an easter egg hunt on the White House lawn or pardons a Thanksgiving turkey. If we use your expansive reading of the Hatch Act, wouldn’t those be indictable offenses because they are not a part of his executive function and are likely done to promote his public image so he can get reelected? And those things probably cost the taxpayers more money than this silly, stupid letter. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/34 "2020-05-03T20:52:26Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Let’s take a president who holds an easter egg hunt on the White House lawn or pardons a Thanksgiving turkey. > > If we use your expansive reading of the Hatch Act, wouldn’t those be indictable offenses because they are not a part of his executive function and are likely done to promote his public image so he can get reelected? > > And those things probably cost the taxpayers more money than this silly, stupid letter. How many letters were sent? 50 Million? 100 Million? At 50¢, first class postage alone is 25 - 50 million dollars. You think some Easter eggs cost that much? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/35 "2020-05-04T03:05:58Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > It wouldn’t have happened if Obama was in office. And it’s not even a hypothetical. Both GW Bush and Obama had stimulus checks sent out while they were in office and neither one had their signatures on the fucking checks, much less follow-on letters. Because it’s stupid, narcissistic, and only appeals to the basest and most intellectually challenged of voters. Ya know, the ones that would retort with tu quoques that are literally, provably false. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/36 "2020-05-04T03:14:34Z")
We gave the letter to our 10 year old son to burn in the backyard, with our supervision. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/37 "2020-05-04T08:46:38Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > How many letters were sent? 50 Million? 100 Million? > At 50¢, first class postage alone is 25 - 50 million dollars. You think some Easter eggs cost that much? He’s a lawyer, not a mathemagician. That’s just mean to use things like “facts” and “numbers”. Trolls can’t eat those. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/38 "2020-05-05T20:28:17Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Really? > > Well, that explains some of the extortionate e-mails I’ve gotten from hackers bragging about owning a password I haven’t used in years… Also amusing when they claim to have video of me jacking off to porn sites when 1) I haven’t visited porn on the internet in, oh, probably 15 years or more and 2) my computer doesn’t have a camera attached to it. [Here’s a thread on the subject.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=712411) It’s been a while since I’ve seen any of those emails; now I have three in my spam folder since Friday. All of them mention the same password, one so ridiculously long (40 characters!) that I cannot believe anyone would actually use it. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/39 "2021-04-29T21:03:51Z")
I just get the same letter from one Joseph R. Biden, Jr. about the latest stimulus payment. What a joke. What a waste. What a man-baby. Right? ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012/40 "2021-04-29T21:30:17Z")
I agree. I let out a hearty guffaw when I got mine. They had to send out _some_ notice, and could have sent out the Notice 1444-C to look basically the same as the 1444-B instead of the original 1444, but somewhere someone made the decision to copy the latter instead of the former. It might have been the employee in charge of designing them. Their boss may have assumed that Biden approved it, when he really didn’t. This could definitely have happened entirely without Biden doing anything simply because the framework to do it was already there. Copying the President’s signature is not hard. The rest of the letter is just a cut-and-replace version of Trump’s letter. I’ve yet to see any news story where Biden explains why he copied Trump’s message so closely, so it’s still possible that it was all done without his knowledge. It’s not like he really could have stopped it if the right people at the IRS got it in their head to do it. Their jobs may be at risk now, but certainly Biden had no means to physically prevent it from happening, and had to accept the IRS’s decision for how the notice was to be worded. Biden could have even told them to “make it like the last one”, and the IRS guy in charge misunderstood. Until Biden comes out and says something, I wouldn’t automatically mock him for copying Trump so blatantly. If he did approve the message as it was, then I’ll join in you mocking him. Gladly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-wasting-taxpayer-money-sending-superfluous-letters-to-take-credit-for-the-stimulus-payments/853012.md?page=3)