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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) released a statement following the release of internal data by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that the government paid out at least $1.3 billion to more than 1.1 million prisoners through government COVID stimulus checks. Cassidy’s amendment to prohibit these payments from going to prisoners was blocked by Senate Democrats in March 2021.

“When given the opportunity to stop one million prisoners from receiving government-funded checks, Senate Democrats blocked my effort,” said Dr. Cassidy. “The IRS report is further proof that Washington Democrats’ $1.9 trillion reckless spending bill fueled inflation. It’s an insult to victims, it’s an insult to Louisiana families and workers.”

In January, it was reported that the Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev received a $1,400 government check. Other examples of prisoners receiving stimulus checks include an inmate serving a life sentence for murdering two people, an inmate who is serving a 30-year sentence for giving a 23-year-old a fatal dose of heroin, an inmate serving a 20-year sentence for giving a 21-year-old woman a fatal dose of fentanyl, and an inmate in Florida serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking.