Have we been answering this question wrong?

[Bloomberg] The $2 billion Cares Act, approved by Congress last month, provides $1,200 payments to U.S. taxpayers who earn as much as $75,000 -- plus $500 for each child. But to be eligible, both spouses in families that file joint tax returns must have Social Security numbers -- unless one of them is a member of the military.

That leaves 1.2 million Americans ineligible, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Chicago. The lawsuit cites the Migration Policy Institute which says on its website that’s how many “unauthorized” immigrants in the U.S. are married to Americans.

[Los Angeles Times] The government’s CARES Act offers $1,200 to Americans earning up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income and who have a Social Security number and $500 for each child. But it excludes millions of tax-paying immigrants who do not have legal status — and it also blocks U.S. citizens if they file a joint tax return with a spouse who does not have a Social Security number.