156 million coronavirus relief payments issued says Treasury Department

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Treasury Department says it has issued more than 156 million payments as part of President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief plan. This includes 25 million payments on Wednesday that were primarily to Social Security beneficiaries who hadn’t filed 2019 or 2020 tax returns.

The direct payments of as much as $1,400 per person were the cornerstone promise of Biden’s $1.9 trillion package to contain the pandemic and revive the U.S. economy.

The government since March 12 has paid out $372 billion, a sum that likely boosted hiring last month as Americans had more money to spend. White House officials previously estimated 158.5 million households would receive the payments.