Will Americans get another stimulus check? Peek at the proposed amount
It seems like a million years ago since Americans received their COVID stimulus checks from the federal government . In the wake of reported high joblessness & looming evictions, word on the street is the U.S. federal government might be doling out another check. Here are all the deets so far.
The relief package
For a while now, Congress has been trying to get a COVID relief package in place. On Thursday, they seemingly solidified the deal. If pushed forward, the package will include $300 billion in aid to businesses, $300 a week unemployment benefits, funds for vaccine distribution & for people who cannot afford food – last but not least, a $600 stimulus check.
This bill notably removed around $160 billion in aid for state & local governments whose budgets are suffering from the pandemic. Many state governments provided their own relief to citizens, depleting their treasuries in the process.
In response to the lack of aid to states, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin simply stated: “It’s heartbreaking for us.”
Senator Bernie Sanders asserted the package falls short on what people really need, telling MSNBC on Wednesday: “Everything that is in that package is vitally needed. The problem is that it is a much smaller package than the country needs in this moment of economic desperation.”
John Hawley, a Republican senator for Missouri, agreed with Sanders’s statement. He claimed while the new stimulus check was a “good movement in the right direction, I think it needs to be $1,200.”
Potential delays
Though the relief package looks pretty good to some government officials, others aren’t sold. Bickering over the responsibilities of state & local governments in aid, as well as financial add-ons that aren’t necessarily related to the pandemic, have made the agreement a painstaking process.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented on the frustrating operation, asking: “Do we want to lapse into politics like this was an ordinary political exercise? Or on the other hand, after months of inaction, do we want to move swiftly and with unusual bipartisanship to close out our issues, seal the deal, and write text that can quickly pass into law?”
Why we need rapid action
Though the economic state of the U.S. has been pretty dire throughout the entirety of the COVID pandemic, things have taken a significant turn for the worse during the newest surge.
On Thursday, weekly numbers revealed a whopping 885,000 applied for unemployment last week. This is the highest number we’ve seen since September. It is especially dire, as unemployment runs out on December 26th for many people.
How the previous package helped
The U.S. received a pandemic package in March. The CARES Act gave $1.8 trillion in aid, which included a $1,200 stimulus check. Since then, a new package has reportedly become a partisan issue, which is why it has taken well over half a year for new relief to be offered.
What are Joe Biden’s plans?
Per statements made by Biden at press conferences and on his website, Joe Biden has advocated for relief packages. He referred to the newest one as “an important down payment,” but assured citizens that more is coming next year. He claimed the U.S. hasn’t offered nearly enough to tide people over, and stated he’s adamant on keeping good on his promise to give the American people more relief.
Response to the package
Understandably, many people are upset about their stimulus bill not only coming nine months after the first, but being nearly cut in half. One Twitter user wrote: “$600 stimulus checks are a joke. It’s half of what we got before, which was already not enough. If that’s the best our leadership is able to negotiate for us, then they don’t deserve to be our leadership.”
Another wrote: “The U.S. government gave over 40,000 millionaires an average of 1.7 million each in Covid Aid. This is our tax dollars they give to millionaires. AND wanna give middle class & poor families only $600 in stimulus checks? This is supposed 2 cover 8 months of back rent & mortgages?”
