Feds sent out $1.4 billion in stimulus checks to dead people

A new report out Thursday from the Government Accountability Office raised questions about how the Trump Administration sent out economic stimulus checks to help people deal with the Coronavirus, as investigators found the IRS sent out 1.1 million payments to dead taxpayers.

"The American people deserve to know whether those funds are being misused," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

The GAO report found Internal Revenue Service officials decided they did not have the proper authorization to crosscheck the stimulus check list with the updated Social Security death list.

"According to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, as of April 30, almost 1.1 million payments totaling nearly $1.4 billion had gone to decedents," the report noted.

"On May 6, 2020, IRS announced on its website that if a payment was issued to a decedent or incarcerated individual, the total amount should be returned," the report noted.

"However, IRS does not currently plan to take additional steps to notify ineligible recipients on how to return payments," the GAO stated.

You can read the full report about federal Coronavirus aid from the GAO.