Millions of people who received a stimulus check are also getting a signed letter from Trump praising his own economic response

• Trump is sending signed letters to millions of Americans getting their stimulus payments.
• The letters praise his administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and characterized it in warlike terms.
• "As we wage total war on this invisible enemy, we are also working around the clock to protect hardworking Americans like you from the consequences of the economic shutdown," it said.
• Critics of the move argue the taxpayer-funded letter is heavily politicized.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tens of millions of Americans have received stimulus payments from the federal government over the past month. Now many of them are set to get a signed letter from President Trump full of praise for his administration's economic response to the pandemic.

The letters are required to be sent 15 days after a person received their economic impact payments under the Cares Act signed into law last month. Trump had earlier moved to have his name printed on the paper checks the IRS is sending to many Americans without direct-deposit information.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Business Insider, begins by laying out the severe nature of the crisis. One side carries the message in English and the other in Spanish.

"My Fellow American," the letter begins, "Our great country is experiencing an unprecedented public health and economic challenge as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic. Our top priority is your health and safety."

Then it puts a personal stamp on the federal response, characterizing it in warlike terms and saying the administration is determined to extend financial lifelines to average Americans during the pandemic.

"As we wage total war on this invisible enemy, we are also working around the clock to protect hardworking Americans like you from the consequences of the economic shutdown," it said. "We are fully committed to ensuring you and your family have the support you need to get through this time."

The letter then laid out his role approving the stimulus law and concluded by saying the US would soon emerge "stronger than ever before."

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The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Critics, including Noah Bookbinder, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a government watchdog in Washington, D.C., argued the letter was heavily politicized.

"The President putting his signature on stimulus checks may have delayed them going out and required contortions to get around the law," he wrote on Twitter. "Now he's followed it up with a signed, self-aggrandizing letter to millions of Americans, at taxpayer expense."

Similar moves invited criticism in the past. The federal government last sent stimulus checks in 2001 as part of a tax-cut package and in early 2008 to bolster consumer spending just before the recession, both during the Bush administration.

Both times, Democrats attacked then-President Bush for prominently displaying his name into an IRS letter explaining the payments, The Washington Post reported. But the letters included much more technical information about taxpayer eligibility for the money, as well as charts to serve as visual aids.

Individuals earning below $75,000 are set to get the full $1,200 check, but the amount scales down until the eligibility cutoff at $99,000. People will also get an extra $500 for each dependent child under 17.

Some Democratic lawmakers are already calling for another round of direct payments to households in a Phase 4 relief package, arguing a one-time $1,200 check to qualifying taxpayers is not enough to tide them over during the crisis.

Read the original article on Business Insider