This week, the Treasury Department will begin to send out the $1,200 CARES Act payments that Congress approved in response to the coronavirus crisis. The money will be wired to eligible recipients who previously authorized the IRS to post their refunds through direct deposit. The American Prospect reports, though that "Congress did not exempt CARES Act payments from private debt collection, and the Treasury Department has been reluctant to exempt them through its rulemaking authority. This means that individuals could see their payments transferred from their hands into the hands of their creditors, potentially leaving them with nothing."
The full article is here. And a follow-up article about the Department of Treasury allowing the debt collection is here.