U.S. Department of the Treasury

(Archived Content)

Today, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Vice President Cheney visited Treasury Department's Financial Management Service's Kansas City facility as the first advance payment checks are mailed to taxpayers. Nearly 8 million checks are being mailed today, delivering $3.3 billion in immediate tax relief to hardworking American taxpayers.

The check is in the mail! Those words couldn't be more true today. Nearly 8 million checks - totaling $3.3 billion, are in the mail today. And that's just the first shipment. We are here to proudly tell 92 million Americans, the check is in the mail -- thanks to the President's leadership in passing tax relief.

This facility is among five nationally that will produce and issue 92 million rebate checks for American taxpayers over a ten week period. I'd like to personally thank Jack Adams, the Director of the facility, for all of the hard work he has already done, and will do, over the next ten weeks. He, and the other four FMS center Directors, are playing a critical role in this enormous undertaking.

Jack and his colleagues will be sending out as many as ten million checks a week for ten weeks! It's an enormous job, but I know you and your staff are up to it and for that reason, you, and all of your fellow FMS colleagues, have our sincere thanks. You taxpayers out there may see Jack's signature on your check - and then you can thank him too.

Working Americans across the nation are going to receive a total of $38 billion dollars back from Washington by the end of September. That 38 billion comes at exactly the right time to give the softening economy a much needed shot in the arm. This is a rare instance when fiscal policy hit s exactly when it was needed most.

We're getting money back to the taxpayers in record time because the President focused like a laser beam on the tax relief package during his first months in office. The conventional wisdom back in January said it would take the entire first year of his term to pass the tax relief bill. We challenged the conventional wisdom, and the results are right here before you in this stack of checks headed out to taxpayers today.

Finally, I want to thank Congress too. I'm glad members of Congress put politics aside and allowed this bipartisan legislation to move forward. It's now clear that working Americans are going to receive significant tax relief. The President has shown the American people that great things can happen when both parties work together and unite around principle.

The Treasury Department will announce every week the number of checks that are being mailed out for that week, and the amount of tax relief that is being sent to taxpayers. Checks will be mailed over a ten-week period, according to the last two digits of the taxpayers Social Security number. Notices from the Internal Revenue Service that tells taxpayers the amount of their check and when they should expect it have been mailed. Single taxpayers will get a check up to $300, head of household up to $500 and married couples filing jointly will get up to $600.

Because the Social Security number determines when checks are mailed, taxpayers may receive their checks at different times than their neighbors or other family members. On a joint return, the first number listed will set the mailout time.