The third stimulus check, formally known as an economic impact payment, was a product of the American Rescue Plan enacted in March 2021. Those eligible for payments received up to $1,400, and married couples filing a joint return received up to $2,800. As of late July 2021, the IRS said it had made more than 171 million payments.
Since stimulus checks were first issued, taxpayers have been warned about scams. Many viewers have also emailed VERIFY to ask if a fourth round of payments is in the works.
A video claiming to show President Joe Biden announcing the next wave of stimulus checks has been shared widely on Facebook. In the video, Biden appears to say, “Some people in the country will start seeing those direct deposits in their bank accounts this weekend and payments to eligible Americans will continue throughout the course of the next several weeks.”
The video also shows a screenshot at the bottom alleging Biden is signing an executive order.
THE QUESTION
Did President Joe Biden tell Americans they would receive a new round of stimulus payments over the course of the next several weeks?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, the video of President Joe Biden is fake. The federal government is not sending a fourth round of stimulus checks.
WHAT WE FOUND
The video was posted to a Facebook page called “Care First Homes,” which only has 830 followers, and was viewed more than 45,000 times.
The post said, “We came across this on the news last night and were so happy. My friend also called me this morning and told me about the great news for medicare holders in the US. All I did was entered [sic] my zip on the website and confirmed my medicare details and now we are getting back $2880. Just check zip on the website!”
The fake video is not from a newscast, nor is it an official White House video. Facebook has also labeled the post as “missing context.”
The video footage was edited from a speech President Joe Biden delivered at COP26, the United Nations climate change conference held in November 2021. The audio in the video posted to Facebook is also out of sync with Biden’s lips, and was either digitally altered to sound like him or is someone doing an impression of the president.
The footage used in the fake viral video matches the COP26 speech on the C-SPAN website. The same flag alignment can be seen in the background, and Biden’s necktie is the same.
The fake video also uses White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s comments about stimulus checks from a daily briefing on March 11, 2021.
“This is, of course, just the first wave but…some people in the country will start seeing those direct deposits in their back accounts this weekend. And payments to eligible Americans will continue throughout the course of the next several weeks,” Psaki said during the briefing.
The Internal Revenue Service’s website only has information pertaining to the first three stimulus checks, with no evidence a fourth check will be coming from the federal government. Congress hasn’t passed any legislation for a fourth stimulus check.
VERIFY previously reported that the third stimulus check was actually an advance on a tax credit called the Recovery Rebate Credit, according to Jackson Hewitt, a tax preparation service. The IRS says the Recovery Rebate Credit is intended for people who missed the stimulus payment or didn’t receive the full amount they’re eligible for. The IRS has stimulus eligibility information posted on its website.
The Facebook post also claims that Medicare recipients will receive more than $2,800. In 2021, a number of online ads also promoted a “free $2,880 Medicare flex card.” VERIFY previously reported that Medicare is not offering a free flex card. While some Medicare Advantage plans are offering “flex cards,” they are nowhere near as valuable as a $2,880 card and they aren’t free. You often have to pay an additional premium for Medicare Advantage plans.
More from VERIFY: No, a fourth stimulus check has not been passed
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