President Donald Trump is sending signed letters to millions of Americans getting their stimulus payments.

The letters praise the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and characterize it in warlike terms.

"As we wage total war on this invisible enemy, we are also working around the clock to protect hardworking Americans like you from the consequences of the economic shutdown," it said.

Critics described the taxpayer-funded letter as heavily politicized.

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Tens of millions of Americans have received stimulus payments from the federal government over the past month. Now many of them are set to get a signed letter from President Donald Trump full of praise for his administration's economic response to the pandemic.

The letters are required to be sent 15 days after a person receives their economic-impact payments under the CARES Act signed into law last month. Trump had earlier moved to have his name printed on the paper checks the IRS is sending to many Americans without direct-deposit information.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Business Insider, begins by laying out the severe nature of the crisis. One side carries the message in English and the other in Spanish.

"My Fellow American," the letter begins. "Our great country is experiencing an unprecedented public health and economic challenge as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic. Our top priority is your health and safety."

A letter from the IRS, signed by Trump, notifying a family of an economic-impact payment via direct deposit. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

Then it puts a personal stamp on the federal response, characterizing it in warlike terms and saying the administration is determined to extend financial lifelines to Americans during the pandemic.

"As we wage total war on this invisible enemy, we are also working around the clock to protect hardworking Americans like you from the consequences of the economic shutdown," it said. "We are fully committed to ensuring that you and your family have the support you need to get through this time."

The letter then lays out Trump's role in enacting the stimulus law and concludes by saying the US will soon emerge "stronger than ever before."

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The Treasury Department and the IRS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Critics including Noah Bookbinder, the executive director of the government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, described the letter as heavily politicized.

"The President putting his signature on stimulus checks may have delayed them going out and required contortions to get around the law," he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "Now he's followed it up with a signed, self-aggrandizing letter to millions of Americans, at taxpayer expense."

Similar moves have invited criticism in the past. The federal government last sent stimulus checks in 2001 as part of a tax-cut package and in early 2008 to bolster consumer spending just before the recession.

Both times, Democrats attacked President George W. Bush for prominently displaying his name in an IRS letter explaining the payments, The Washington Post reported. But the letters included charts and technical information about taxpayer eligibility for the money.

For the latest stimulus checks, individuals earning below $75,000 are set to get the full $1,200, and the amount scales down until the eligibility cutoff at $99,000. People can also get an extra $500 for each dependent under 17.

Some Democratic lawmakers have already called for another round of direct payments to households in a so-called phase-four relief package, arguing that a one-time $1,200 check to qualifying taxpayers is not enough to tide them over during the crisis.