(Photo : Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)
Economic Stimulus Package Tax Rebate Checks Printed
PHILADELPHIA - MAY 8: Economic stimulus checks are printed at the Philadelphia Financial Center May 8, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One hundred and thirty million households are eligible to receive a tax rebate check under the $168 billion economic stimulus plan. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the United States, a petition for $2,000 monthly stimulus payments is approaching its target of 3 million signatures. Twenty-one senators and 150 economists have campaigned for regular direct funding, but the Biden administration has indicated that it is not a priority, preferring to focus on pushing its infrastructure plan.
As of Saturday, the petition has received over 2,760,100 signatures, with around 286,800 additional supporters in the last month. In a letter dated March 30, twenty-one Democratic senators asked President Joe Biden to include recurring direct payments. The legislators said that the $1,400 federal stimulus check wouldn't be enough to help low-income families get through the current crisis.
Senators, economists back petitions for recurring stimulus payments
Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Alex Padilla of California, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and Bernie Sander of Vermont are part of the coalition led by Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden.
The group includes six committee chairs from the finance, banking, judiciary, budget, agriculture, and armed services committees, ranging from moderates like Stabenow and Bennett to progressives like Booker and Warren.
The legislators did not define the size or timing of the stimulus payments. In January, a rival Democratic initiative, sponsored by Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar and backed by more than 50 House members, advocated for recurrent direct payments throughout the pandemic. Omar requested the government to authorize "$2,000 monthly payments till the pandemic is finished" in a tweet, as per Newsweek via MSN.
In an open letter last year, more than 150 experts backed the concept of recurring direct stimulus payments, including Jason Furman, the former chair of the Obama administration's Council of Economic Advisers.
In response to the demand for recurring payments, Brain Birnberg, a professor at one of Manhattan's colleges, issued a statement. He said that it was merely a fictitious event taking place far away from reality. The professor went on to say that individuals demanding the money were not strangers to such demands.
Per Digital Market News, they made their demands before the pandemic began in the US, continued to do so throughout the crisis, and would continue to do so even after the pandemic ended. Meanwhile, on May 7, a group of lawmakers sent a letter to the federal government urging that the stimulus checks be distributed to the people.
How petitions could affect the fourth stimulus check process?
The Biden administration has no plans to reinstate stimulus payments, preferring instead to aid families through the American Rescue Plan. The Child Tax Credit, which allows American families to receive up to $300 a month for each child, has been at the forefront of this. The most recent payment was made on July 15, and the next one is due on August 13, which is a day sooner than normal.
Biden has attempted to make stimulus checks more targeted, rather than sending enormous quantities of money to every American, through the Child Tax Credit. However, this has issued since some qualified families, as well as individuals in need who do not have families, would undoubtedly fall through the cracks. When the additional unemployment benefits expire next month, unemployed persons without families will be put under considerably more strain.
Stephanie Bonin, a restaurant owner, started the largest of the stimulus check petitions, which had over 2.76 million signatures at the time of publication. It will be the largest on change.org if it achieves 3 million signatures.
The petition urges Congress to make recurring payments automatic if specific conditions are met, so individuals don't have to wait for the government to act. These regular stimulus checks would be worth $2,000 for adults and $1,000 for children, as per AS.com.
Related Article: Fourth Stimulus Check Update: There's $8,000 Surprise Stimulus Check That May Hit Your Bank Account
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