Second round of stimulus checks ‘could be in doubt’ as Senators push for ‘more targeted’ relief
A SECOND round of stimulus checks ‘could be in doubt’ as some Senators push for ‘more targeted’ relief. As another coronavirus stimulus package was passed in the House and makes it way through the Senate, some members of Congress have pushed for other ways to give financial relief. “I think the next round we’ve got […]
A SECOND round of stimulus checks ‘could be in doubt’ as some Senators push for ‘more targeted’ relief.
As another coronavirus stimulus package was passed in the House and makes it way through the Senate, some members of Congress have pushed for other ways to give financial relief.
“I think the next round we’ve got to be more targeted to those who are really in need,” Democratic Sen Ben Cardin of Maryland said, as reported by The Hill.
“So I hope we can target this a little bit better to those who have been hit hard because of COVID-19,” he added.
Democrats have largely supported the HEROES Act – a $3trillion package that was passed in the House earlier this month.
Included in the bill is another round of stimulus checks that would give $1,200 to single Americans, and up to $6,000 per household.
When a $2.2trillion COVID-19 relief package was passed in late March, some representatives have pushed for a second round – or recurring wave – of checks.
Now, even some Democrats have begun to call into question the second round of checks.
As the HEROES Act was passed in the House – which has a Democratic majority – the bill was set to be shredded in the Senate – where Republicans hold the majority.
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said earlier this month he would support more payments – but that that’s not the “top” priority.
“I would support additional payments, as well as fixing problems with the first round of payments like the exclusion of dependents and citizen children of immigrant,” Wyden said, as reported by The Hill.
“My top priorities are tying expanded unemployment benefits to economic conditions and providing more help for the smallest of small businesses.”
White House officials have indicated that if another round of checks were passed in Congress, President Trump would likely sign off on another round.
Republicans, however, have favored reopening the country and getting people back to work than another wave of emergency money directly in the hands of Americans.
As the stimulus package is now up for debate, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated that this would be the “final” one, CNBC reported.
“We’re taking a careful look at a fourth and final bill,” the Kentucky Senator said.
“You could anticipate the decision being made on whether to go forward in about a month.
“And it will be narrowly crafted, designed to help us where we are a month from now, not where we were three months ago,” he added.
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In April, a Democrat-backed bill called the Emergency Money for the People Act was introduced.
The bill would have given $2,000 recurring checks to Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Although it gained support from dozens of representatives, it has yet to move forward.