With the end of the pandemic nowhere in sight, some in Congress are calling for an additional stimulus check. A group of Democratic senators, including Ron Wyden of Oregon, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, are leading the charge nationally.
The group sent a letter to President Joe Biden at the end of March requesting that the government issue “recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions tied to economic conditions.”
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Stimulus checks have helped Americans get by during the pandemic. But, with the delta variant sparking the return of the pandemic a year and a half after the economy initially shut down, the senators say that Americans need help.
“This crisis is far from over, and families deserve certainty that they can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Families should not be at the mercy of constantly shifting legislative timelines and ad hoc solutions,” the letter read.
Another letter was sent to the President and Vice President at the beginning of the year from 53 Representatives, led by Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Their letter also discussed a similar need for aid but focused more on recurring payments.
“Recurring direct payments until the economy recovers will help ensure that people can meet their basic needs, provide racially equitable solutions, and shorten the length of the recession,” the letter read.
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While the letter did not have a specific amount for the payments at first, a tweet from Omar later put the number at $2,000 monthly.
The push for an additional stimulus was renewed in a May 17 letter from the House Ways and Means Committee.
“The ARP’s $1,400 checks alone will keep 11 million people out of poverty this year, with UI (unemployment insurance) expansion and other provisions in the bill accounting for the another five million. A fourth and fifth check could keep an additional 12 million out of poverty. Combined with the effects of the ARP, direct payments could reduce the number in poverty in 2021 from 44 million to 16 million.”
In California, some eligible for a Golden State Stimulus check will receive a $1,100 payment from the state as early as next week. The first round of direct deposits is set to be released on Sept. 1, according to the California Franchise Tax Board.
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Those who will be getting the payment via direct deposit are individuals who have already chosen that option to receive a refund on their tax return. Those who haven’t signed up for direct deposit will get a check in the mail in early October.
The California payments are a part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s $100-billion budget plan, Fox5 reported. The money is coming from the federal coronavirus recovery funds.
In total, the state will be handing out $12 billion in payments, the most significant state tax rebate in U.S. history. In addition, in the state’s second stimulus check plan, eligible residents — those who make a gross income of $1 to $75,000 — will receive an additional $600 later this year.
The Biden administration authored the third round of stimulus checks and has not said they are against a fourth round. However, at the moment, there are no plans for a fourth relief payment.
“He’s happy to hear from a range of ideas on what would be most effective and what’s most important to the economy moving forward,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. “But he’s also proposed what he thinks is going to be the most effective for the short term for putting people back to work, to getting through this pivotal period of time, and also to making us more competitive in the long term.”