#WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined 12 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin demanding an exemption for direct assistance checks from debt collectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Families across the nation are in dire need of assistance to pay their rent and put food on the table.

“We ask you to act right away to use Treasury’s rulemaking authority to exempt Americans’ direct assistance payments from private debt collection so that American families can receive critical assistance to help them get through this unprecedented crisis,” the Senators wrote.

The Senators continued, “The American people are struggling right now to find ways to navigate the current crisis and keep themselves and their families healthy. They need this assistance more than ever and it is Treasury’s responsibility to act and ensure that every American family who is eligible for the assistance can receive its full benefit. We ask you to ensure that direct assistance checks cannot be garnished for private debt collection purposes.”

Joining Blumenthal and Murphy on the letter are Senators Harris (D-CA)  Durbin (D-IL), Sanders (I-VT), Schatz (D-HI), Van Hollen (D-MD), Merkley (D-OR), Murray (D-WA), Jones (D-AL), Whitehouse (D-RI), Baldwin (D-WI), Klobuchar (D-MN), Smith (D-MN).

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