Many Americans have wondered if there will be a fourth round of stimulus checks, while the federal government continues to distribute the $ 1,400 provided by President Joe Biden’s Rescue Plan. So far, 64 Congressional lawmakers have pushed for recurring direct payments until the end of the pandemic.
In January, two months before Biden sanctioned the last stimulus package, 53 House Democrats pressured Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for recurring stimulus checks in a letter, insisting that “one more check is not enough”.
“It was very encouraging to see the inclusion of direct cash aid in its current economic rescue plan. However, it is clear that during this unprecedented period in our country’s history, we must take additional measures that are unprecedented,” the group said.
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The letter, led by Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, urged Democratic leaders to continue checking until the economy recovers with “equal payments for adults and dependents, prioritizing those who need it most and will spend it fastest and include older dependents, as disabled and dependent elderly and over 16 years old still claimed as dependents ”.
The signatories to the letter included Jamaal Bowman of New York; Cori Bush of Missouri; David Cicilline of Rhode Island; Jimmy Gomez from California; Pramila Jayapal from Washington; Ro Khanna from California; Ted Lieu from California; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; Mark Pocan of Wisconsin; Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts; Jamie Raskin of Maryland; Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib; and Bonnie Watson Coleman, from New Jersey.
“Recurring direct payments until the economy recovers will ensure that people can meet their basic needs, provide racially equitable solutions and shorten the duration of the recession,” the group wrote. “Another single round of checks would provide a temporary schedule, but when that money runs out, families will once again have a hard time paying for basic necessities.”
Eleven Senate Democrats joined the effort to push for recurring checks earlier this month. The senators asked Biden to deliver the measure in a supplementary aid package in a separate letter to the president after the House initially approved the American Rescue Plan, which provided only $ 1,400 in direct payments.
Signatories to the letter included Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; Bernie Sanders of Vermont, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee; Sherrod Brown of Ohio, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee; Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; Ed Markey of Massachusetts; Cory Booker, from New Jersey; Michael Bennet of Colorado; Tammy Baldwin, from Wisconsin; Kirsten Gillibrand of New York; Alex Padilla, from California; and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.
So far, Biden has not expressed support for recurring checks and any prospective direct payments would face a legislative challenge.
Democrats used a budget process called reconciliation to approve the latest stimulus bill without Republican support. But the process can only be used once each fiscal year. With cases of COVID-19 on the decline and vaccines being launched, the Biden government may choose to use reconciliation when it becomes available after October 1 for other democratic priorities, such as combating climate change.
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment.