Editorial Board

The U.S. Government Can Do Better Than Paper Checks

Emergency relief payments shouldn’t take several months.

April 27, 2020 at 4:59 PM UTC

By The Editorial Board

The Editorial Board publishes the views of the editors across a range of national and global affairs.

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Photographer: Jeff Fusco/Getty Images

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About a month ago, Congress promised to provide some immediate relief to Americans financially slammed by the coronavirus crisis: cash payments of $1,200 per person and $500 per child, delivered as quickly as possible. Today, tens of millions are still waiting for the Internal Revenue Service to print and mail paper checks, a process that could drag on through September.

Amazingly, this appears to be about as swiftly as the U.S. government can act. Which means it needs a much better system for delivering money to people in emergencies.