More than 8.7 million Americans have still not received the stimulus checks in September, seven months after the CARES Act, which made provisions for stimulus checks, was passed. This report was made by the GAO “the investigative arm of Congress”. GAO is an unbiased watchdog of the US Congress which is focused on the evaluation of the enforcement of the CARES Act.
The report also addressed major discrepancies in the CDC’s precautionary measures for school reopening. One of such measures is the approved method of screening for COVID-19 and the number of infected people that will warrant the closure of a school. The report is preceded by two other reports each of which lists out the steps to be taken by the executive and legislative arms of the US government to heighten the country’s response to the pandemic. To this end, the GAO gives a report once in two months.
“The report issued by GAO as 16 new crucial recommendations,” head of GAO, Gene Dodaro, said. “If joints and immediate actions are taken by the Trump administration and congress the coronavirus crisis will be properly addressed. If these suggestions are implemented, not only will we be better prepared to combat future public health emergencies, we will also be able to increase our response to COVID-19 pandemic.”
The IRS and treasury department have tried to remove some of the flaws in the stimulus check program, but it is clear that they still lack data on the number of eligible candidates that have not received their checks. GAO has estimated that millions of Americans are poised to miss their stimulus checks if nothing is done.
GAO has reported that a large number of affected recipients are low-income earners who did not file their tax returns with the IRS. The unavailability of the information, as a result of low earnings, will most likely lead to the loss of the $1200 stimulus check.
About 26 million Americans who do not have their information in the IRS database received the stimulus package. This includes 5.3 million people who registered online in accordance with IRS guidance. That leaves at least 8.7 million Americans that have not been identified by the IRS and have not registered online to receive the stimulus check.
The GAO also found that about 1.1 million Americans were underpaid. Amongst those underpaid are parents who did not get the extra payments of $500 per child; spouses estranged as a result of domestic violence with no access to their bank accounts. About 700,000 widows were also reported to have missed their checks.
Speaking on the discrepancies in CDC’s guidelines for school reopening, the GAO report stated that the precautionary measures are inconsistent and confusing. Some of the center’s guidance state a total closure of a school with an infected student or member of staff while another guidance says that the school should only be shut down for 2-5 days. The White House has also mandated all schools to reopen fully or risk having their funds withheld. This statement, the report says contrasts the statement of Betsy Devos, the Education Secretary, who stated that the decision to reopen schools rests in the hands of state and local districts.
The GOA report has also described most of the guidelines as unachievable. The report states that schools cannot afford the stringent repairs and steps stipulated by the CDC. This, the report suggests, might cause more racial struggles as most schools that are in the poor districts mainly cater to the educational needs of Blacks and Hispanics. These schools reportedly educate 1.5 million students more than schools in rich districts.
The CDC has reacted to the GOA report about the string of discrepancies in its guidelines for school reopening. The center stated that it is trying to harmonize the information it has placed in different forums with a bid to reducing the confusion its guidance has generated. GOA has advised CDC Director Robert Redfield to do all things necessary to correct the mistakes.
Source: forbes.com
