Congressman Cohen Introduces the CLEAN Check Act
Only civil servants should sign checks issued by the Federal Government
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced the Curb Leaders from Electioneering with Autographs on National (CLEAN) Checks Act, a measure prohibiting the manipulation of the public’s financial lifeline for a politician’s political gain. Until President Trump placed his name on every COVID-19 pandemic relief check, no President had so blatantly sought to take misplaced credit for federal assistance.
In 2020, the House of Representatives passed an earlier version of Congressman Cohen’s bill as part of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, but the Republican-controlled Senate refused to advance the bill.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“Among his many corrupt and offensive official acts, President Trump sought to make hay out of the public’s pain by placing his name on every taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief check. We cannot tolerate the partisan politicization of federal assistance, and the CLEAN Checks Act will ensure it never happens again.”
The bill would codify the longstanding precedent that only civil servants sign checks issued by the Federal Government, thereby keeping further disbursements free of political score-keeping and self-dealing.
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