Completion of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate on Saturday freed Congress to focus on delivering Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which includes $ stimulus checks 1,400. But with the House and Senate at intervals scheduled for this week, the process could take longer than many Americans would expect.
On Thursday, the House’s Ways and Means Committee voted to approve a portion of Biden’s plan, consisting mainly of direct payments of $ 1,400, in a 24-18 vote according to party lines. The broad bill will be voted on gradually, as the Senate plans to use the budget reconciliation process to circumvent the Republican opposition and obstruction.
The legislation now goes to the House Budget Committee, where it will remain until the House meeting. Both the House and the Senate will return after the February 22 recess to resume work on the package. The proposal must pass through the Chamber in a plenary vote before the end of the month. Then, Senate Democrats could approve it without Republican Party support through reconciliation.
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Lawmakers set March 14 as an unofficial deadline to approve more aid for coronavirus, as federal unemployment benefits under Trump’s $ 900 billion relief package expire on that date.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced last week that Congress will approve the package by the end of this month. She told reporters that she believes the bill will be sent to the Senate in just over a week, allowing Congress to “finish our work before the end of February”.
However, eligibility and income limits have yet to be determined. According to the Democrats’ proposal, individuals with an income of less than $ 75,000 would receive a total payment of $ 1,400 and couples with an income of less than $ 150,000 would be entitled to receive $ 2,800. Payments would be reduced for those who earn above the limits, before being eliminated entirely for those who earn more than $ 100,000 and couples who earn more than $ 200,000.
With Biden supporting the proposal, Democrats have prepared for a vote that will allow the plan to pass without adjustments to accommodate tax-conservative Republicans.
After stimulus checks are approved in Congress, the bill will need to be enacted into law and the IRS will take about a week to begin processing.
If Congress passes the bill during the week ending February 26, it can be sanctioned on March 1, and direct deposits can start appearing during the week of March 8. Paper checks and Economic Impact Payment (EIP) cards would take longer to process. According to this schedule, the IRS could start distributing paper checks in the week of March 15 and EIP cards in the week of March 22.
Newsweek contacted the Treasury Department for more information.