REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst
- Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that American workers who earn up to $ 60,000 should receive direct payments.
- The question of who should receive payments for Biden’s relief package is a key debate in Congress.
- If Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion package is approved, the United States will return to full employment in 2022, said Yellen.
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American workers earning up to $ 60,000 a year should receive stimulus checks under President Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Sunday.
Yellen cited examples of families of teachers and primary school police officers who need to support their children’s education.
“The exact details of how this should be addressed must be determined, but struggling middle-class families also need help,” she told CNN “State of the Union”.
An important discussion between Republicans and Democrats is over who should receive direct payments under the proposed aid package. Both sides expressed support for stricter income limits for payments.
Some Democrats have launched a proposal that would restrict payments of $ 1,400 to those who earn $ 50,000 or less. Under this plan, couples who earn $ 100,000 or less would receive the full federal amount.
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“President Biden is certainly willing to work with members of Congress to define what is fair. And he would not want a family earning more than $ 300,000 to receive these payments.” Yellen told CNN.
Biden’s plan includes $ 1,400 stimulus checks, $ 400 federal unemployment benefits through September, and assistance to state and local governments, among other provisions. Republicans strongly oppose the plan, saying it is massive federal spending on undirected spending.
But Biden said he was ready to approve the $ 1.9 trillion package with only Democratic votes, highlighting the need to address the urgent challenges facing the country.
If Congress passes the package, the United States will return to full employment in 2022, according to Yellen. And the consequences of not approving a robust project would be dire, she said.
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