Letter to Charles Rettig, Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service - Dr. Ruiz Calls Out IRS on Stimulus Check Delays

Letter

Dear Commissioner Rettig,

I am writing to you on behalf of my rightfully frustrated constituents who have yet to receive their Economic Impact Payments (stimulus checks) as authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136). In addition, I am greatly concerned by the lack of responses and/or unsatisfactory responses by your agency to inquiries from my office on behalf of my constituents.

The stimulus checks established by the CARES Act were designed to provide timely and critical relief to families and individuals across our country struggling with the massive economic shock the coronavirus has caused. This pain has only been exacerbated for households who have either had to wait months for their stimulus checks or have yet to receive them at all. The lack of transparency and clear communication from your agency to both the public and to Congressional offices only compounds the frustration and distress that many are facing.

In May, over a month after the CARES Act was passed, the IRS finally opened a dedicated e- mail address for congressional inquiries on the status of constituent stimulus checks, with a commitment to replying to inquiries within three weeks. Since that time, my office has submitted more than 80 inquiries and received fewer than 20 responses. Several of these inquiries have gone unanswered since May, which means my constituents have remained in the dark for nearly two months regarding when they will receive aid promised to them.

To make matters worse, many of the responses by your agency have merely quoted the information publicly available on your website or failed to address the actual nature of the question asked by my staff. This is simply unacceptable to the families who are waiting and are in dire need of assistance.

At a time when the national unemployment rate remains above 10% and families are making tough choices about how to spend their savings, the distribution of the remaining stimulus checks is all that much more important.

I ask that you direct your agency to expeditiously resolve any issues with outstanding congressional inquiries so that the American people can finally receive the much-needed assistance that the CARES Act was designed to provide. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

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