Trump: 'We're going to get back' the stimulus payments IRS sent to dead people

President Trump said Friday that the government will be able to recoup the stimulus money that the IRS sent to dead people.

"Sometimes you send a check to somebody wrong," he said. "Sometimes people are listed. They die and they get a check. That can happen. ... We'll get the money back."

The stimulus checks, as much as $1,200 a person, were sent based on information from 2018 or 2019 tax filings, to help Americans financially struggling as a result of the coronavirus. 

"Everything we're going to get back, but it's a tiny amount," he said.

Trump estimated roughly 80 million people have received a stimulus payment so far.

"They've done a fantastic job," Trump said, lauding Treasury Department employees for quickly getting the money into mailboxes or bank accounts. "This was done in a matter of a few days."

The IRS declined to comment when asked earlier this week if there is a system in place to recoup stimulus payments sent to ineligible recipients. 

Social media users reported on Wednesday that they were seeing stimulus payments in the accounts of their deceased relatives. NBC News reported on Friday that "the U.S. government plans to allow heirs or spouses of dead people to keep the money," quoting "a source familiar with the matter."

The Treasury Department did not respond to requests for comment about reclaiming the payments.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called for the Department of Justice to investigate the payments the IRS sent out to dead people.