The Dangers of Direct Checks From the Government Commentary Believe it or not, before the coronavirus pandemic the U.S. government had never sent money directly to citizens. Not during the Great Depression. Not during the awful Spanish Flu pandemic. Never. During the 2001 and 2007–09 economic crises, the Bush and Obama administrations issued tax rebate checks or tax credits, not direct checks to all Americans making less than a certain income. My, how things have changed. Over the past year, the U.S. government has sent out three waves of direct checks to the vast majority of Americans. So far, most Americans (89 percent of adults according to the Tax Foundation) will have received up to $3,200 in “free money” from Uncle Sam.