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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 05: U.S. President Joe Biden reads the daily coronavirus numbers from a card that he says he always carries with him during a roundtable meeting with Americans who will benefit from the COVID-19 pandemic relief checks that are a part of the American Rescue Plan on March 5, 2021 in Washington, DC. The American Rescue Plan is currently being debated in the Senate after being passed in the House of Representatives.
More and more Americans are showing their support for a fourth stimulus check relief program asking the federal government to approve the granting of the said assistance. The petition on Change.org has reached 2.5 million signatures, with an increase of about 200,000 in the last month.
The petition calls for the U.S. government to distribute recurring $2,000 payments to adults and $1,000 payments for children amid the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic. However, many experts believe that the hopes and wishes of these supporters may be futile.
Previously, United States President Joe Biden's administration has brushed off talks for a potential fourth stimulus check. The Democrat pointed out that the child tax credit would be the financial support that Americans get in the next few weeks. The legislation would start handing out its payments on July 15 along with the American Rescue plan that was designed to push the economy into recovery.
Fourth Stimulus Check
The Child Tax Credit would give up to $1,800 to eligible families up until December, with each eligible taxpayer getting $300 per month for each child under the age of five years or $250 for each child between six and 17 years. However, the supporters of the petition have argued that the Child Tax Credit would still not be enough to support Americans suffering amid the pandemic, Fortune reported.
On Wednesday, many supporters of the petition posted comments saying that American families continue to struggle and that people should be able to survive through the pandemic with the government's help.
There have been several similar programs and bills that aimed to support residents through the health crisis. But currently, Capitol Hill has shown no signs of support for a fourth stimulus check or new direct payments to American families.
In May 2020, then-Senator Kamala Harris introduced the bill that would provide $2,000 per month for individuals and up to $10,000 per month for families. And the most recent coronavirus relief program is considered to be a universal basic income experiment by many experts, CNBC reported.
Coronavirus Relief Programs
Next week, the U.S. Senate is expected to once again discuss and negotiate a $1.2 infrastructure bill. They will continue to talk about how the proposal would be funded throughout its course.
The petition was started by Stephanie Bonin, a former restaurant owner from Colorado, who was forced after losing her source of income when the coronavirus pandemic caused most businesses to shut down. She argued that Americans deserved to get monthly compensation until the end of the pandemic to ensure their livelihoods.
Bonin said that if the federal government did not provide the financial support, laid-off workers, furloughed workers, self-employed residents, and workers who have reduced income will struggle to get enough money to pay for daily necessities.
The petition aims to have a total signature count of three million, which would make it one of the top petitions on the website, AS English reported.
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