Former Democratic congressman and presidential candidate from Maryland, John Delaney, has a plan that all Americans might be able to agree on. He’s suggesting that in exchange for taking the COVID-19 vaccine, people get a $1,500 stimulus check.
“The faster we get 75 percent of this country vaccinated, the faster we end Covid and the sooner everything returns to normal,” Delaney said on CNBC.
The last stimulus checks were sent out to Americans in March, and since then, Congress has yet to agree on another stimulus package – although the pandemic rages on, and many will lose unemployment benefits at the end of the year.
Although Delaney’s proposal is likely to face some serious hurdles, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave an optimistic assessment of the prospects for a mid-sized COVID-19 relief bill and a separate $1.4 trillion government wide spending bill on Friday, teeing up expectations for a successful burst of legislative action to reverse months of frustration on pandemic relief.
Pelosi told reporters that she and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are in sync on a plan to reach agreement on the massive omnibus spending bill and to add COVID-19 relief to it.
Associated Press contributed to this story.