“One more check is not enough,” the progressives wrote in their letter to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
White House and Congressional officials are moving quickly to draft the next stimulus package, with Democrats working on legislation that would meet the broad outline of Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion proposal and could be passed in mid-March.
Biden’s proposal includes long-standing priorities from the left, such as a $ 15 minimum wage and a paid leave program – although it is not clear whether any of them can get into the package, given the Republican Party’s initial resistance and certain restrictions of procedure, if Democrats implement budget reconciliation to escape a Senate Obstruction.
Now progressives say Biden should also go further on stimulus checks, which remain extremely popular with the public, despite resistance from the Republican deficit hawks and some Democrats.
While lawmakers do not threaten to withhold their votes, pressure from progressives to prioritize recurring payments can increase pressure on Democrats in a narrowly divided House and Senate.
“Recurring direct payments until the economy recovers will help ensure that people can meet their basic needs, provide racially equitable solutions and shorten the duration of the recession,” says the letter.
The group also told Biden and Harris that the checks should go to “all immigrant workers, refugees and their families”, which would include people who have declared federal taxes but are not legally allowed to work in the US – a group that is not currently eligible for payments.
The letter also calls for more disclosure by state and local authorities “to ensure that families are aware of payments” and to offer more help to people who may not have access to bank accounts.
The letter is endorsed by more than two dozen progressive groups, including Demand Progress, Indivisible and the Universal Income Project.