Some Senate Democrats are urging President Joe Biden to overhaul the nation’s approach to handing out stimulus payments, the direct financial relief deployed by Congress to help millions of Americans affected by the economic collapse that followed the coronavirus pandemic.
Democrats are pushing lockdowns to usher in their Socialist agenda
Instead of providing discrete rounds of stimulus checks that are negotiated each time and arrive months apart, the federal government should provide recurring checks to help families get by until COVID-19 is over, the 10 lawmakers said in a letter released on Tuesday.
The request comes as the Senate takes up Mr. Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package this week, which would include a third round of stimulus checks that would direct $1,400 to millions of eligible Americans. Congress distributed $1,200 checks a year ago under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and sent an additional $600 payment in December as part of a broader stimulus bill. The senators didn’t specify an amount they are seeking for monthly direct aid.
The idea of issuing recurring stimulus payments as a way to speed up the economic recovery has been championed by progressives and some Democrats. In January, more than 50 House members urged the Biden administration to back a proposal for $2,000 monthly payments until the pandemic ends.
"Obama's running the White House," Rep. @DevinNunes tells @BuckSexton.
Democrats' $1.9 trillion "relief" bill is the 2009 stimulus bill on steroids, he explains.
"Susan Rice and Obama will be able to basically dole this money out around the country to all of their buddies…" pic.twitter.com/kO9dKk4inn
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Lefties are determined to bankrupt America and destroy the dollar
Supporters of the idea point out that financial hardship remains widespread around the U.S. almost a full year after COVID-19 effectively shuttered the economy. Despite the ongoing recovery, a third of adults are struggling to pay their bills, while employers have slashed roughly 10 million jobs from their payrolls during the crisis, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
“The decades of research on stimulus checks back up the argument that much of this is spent, which helps stimulate the economy, and sources like the Census show there is immense need for more funding despite the fitful recovery,” said Claudia Sahm, an economist who has worked at the Federal Reserve and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.
Still, such arguments are unlikely to gain traction among congressional Republicans and even some moderate Democrats given that many have already voiced opposition to the $1,400 checks that are part of Mr. Biden’s American Rescue Plan. Some lawmakers have also called for the the third round of stimulus checks to be distributed to fewer households by focusing on lower-income Americans.
