As Oregonians and other Americans recover from devastating wildfires, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) and a bipartisan, bicameral contingent of his home-state colleagues requested that the Trump administration extend the deadline to claim Economic Impact Payments (EIPs).
“Our communities are facing a long road to recovery that is compounded by the ongoing health and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic,” the lawmakers wrote in a Sept. 25 letter sent to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig. “We urge you to help Oregonians access relief by extending the non-filer deadline for claiming EIPs and improving outreach to harder-to-reach communities.”
The wildfires in Oregon alone burned more than 1 million acres statewide, resulting in the forced or threatened evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents and destroyed neighborhoods, wrote Rep. Walden and his colleagues, who included U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“Delivering outstanding EIPs to Oregonians affected by wildfires is an important step to help our communities rebuild,” according to their letter. “Millions of eligible individuals and families across the country have not yet received their EIPs.”
The IRS said on Sept. 17 that letters were being sent to 131,647 Oregonians who may be eligible for an EIP. However, the legislators noted that many of them cannot access their mail because their homes have been destroyed or their mail delivery disrupted.
“Additionally, the non-filer tool requires potentially eligible recipients to enter their information through an online portal,” Rep. Walden and the members wrote. “With many Oregonians still evacuated or residing in temporary shelters, access to computers and the internet will be challenging.”
They requested an immediate extension of the deadline for non-filers to claim their EIP into the beginning of December to allow Oregonians and other Americans greater flexibility in providing the necessary information to receive their EIPs.
“In Oregon and in other states where disasters have disrupted access to the internet and many face mail delays, we urge you to coordinate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on targeted outreach to non-filers,” they added. “Many public buildings like libraries were already closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, and now fires and other disasters have further disrupted access to public resources.”