President Joe Biden has expressed a willingness to change the required income limits for his proposed $ 1,400 stimulus check, so that higher-income Americans, less affected by the economic crisis, will not accept payment. pandemic stimulus proposal as it is very expensive.
“There is a legitimate reason for people to say, ‘Did you draw the lines the right way? Should I go to someone who makes more than X dollars? I am open to negotiating these things,'” Biden told reporters during an executive order on Monday.
However, the president also said that “time is of the essence” and that he would rather pass a big stimulus bill than “handpick” individual proposals, because he sees all the items in his proposal as supporting each other and essential to help the country.
Win McNamee / Getty
Biden’s $ 1.9 million proposal includes not only $ 1,400 stimulus checks, but also an increase in unemployment insurance from $ 300 to $ 400, an increase in the national minimum wage, an expansion of paid leave, money for the safe reopening of schools, funding to help small businesses and state and local governments, as well as $ 160 billion for a national vaccination program.
However, the proposal received criticism from Republicans in Congress, including for stimulus checks. In a 75-minute call with 16 senators on Sunday afternoon, Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins asked why families who earn $ 300,000 would be entitled to a check and said she would prefer economic aid efforts to focus on low-income workers, according to Political.
In a recent speech, Texas Republican representative Kevin Brady criticized the idea of additional stimulus checks, saying, “Will this stimulate our local economies? Not much. What we do know is that a lot of that extra $ 1,600 [sic] will pay credit card debt, or savings, or even make new purchases online at Walmart, Best Buy or Amazon. “
On Monday, Biden said he preferred the bill to be approved by a bipartisan parliamentary consensus to help remove the “vitriol” that bubbled up between parties, but was willing to consider alternative ways to approve the proposal, if necessary.
“I am confident that, from my discussions, there are several Republicans who know that we have to do something about food insecurity for people in this pandemic. I am confident that they know that we have to do something,” added Biden.
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment.