OMAHA- Around $1.3 billion worth of stimulus payments for the Covid-19 pandemic were awarded to people in prison. Responding to a letter sent by Rep. Don Bacon, the IRS confirmed that over 1.1 million stimulus payments have been made to prisoners all over the county since October 2020. A judge ruled that these payments were allowed to be sent to prisoners after Congress failed to restrict them from receiving stimulus.

Rep. Bacon, who voted against President Biden's attempts to send out stimulus, stated that prisoners receiving stimulus funds was "an example of the fiscal recklessness of Democrats."

Bacon previously voted in favor of Former President Trump's stimulus payments in late 2020, and when asked about them, Bacon said, "We didn't realize the first stimulus went to prisoners. When we did, we tried to do something about it."

State Sen. Terrell McKinney, an advocate for the incarcerated in Nebraska, stated that he believed those stimulus payments to prisoners were worth it. "A majority of them are not economically well-off. That helps them be able to talk with family, to be able to buy food and life essentials, to not burden their families," said McKinney.

Bacon rebuked Sen. McKinney's words, stating that "people on death row shouldn't be getting a stimulus check. If you're going to do anything with that, give it to their victims...They are living off the taxpayer."

Sen. Tony Vargas, who is running against Bacon in the 2nd Congressional District race, declined to comment on both Bacon's words, and the inmate stimulus payments themselves.

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