Topline
As Democrats push forward on the next federal coronavirus aid bill over Republican calls to reduce the size and scope of the legislation, President Biden urged House Democrats to hold steady on the size of the $1,400 direct payments included in the bill in a caucus call on Wednesday morning, multiple outlets reported.
President Joe Biden meets with Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other … [+]
Key Facts
Biden’s aggressive $1.9 trillion plan drew criticism from Republicans (as well as Democratic Senator Joe Manchin) that the stimulus check provision in particular was too expensive and failed to target Americans who actually lost income.
His plan would send another round of $1,400 checks to individuals earning less than $75,000 per year and joint filers earning less than $150,000 per year, with payments phasing out above those levels the way they did in the CARES Act.
During his call with Democrats on Wednesday, Biden said reducing the amount of the checks would amount to breaking a promise he made, but added that he would be open to narrowing the income requirements for the payments.
Sen. Joe Manchin Wednesday morning reiterated his opposition to direct payments in Biden’s plan, saying that he wants direct payments in the amount of $1,400 to go out “as quickly as possible,” but adding that they should be more targeted to individuals and families with lower incomes.
Senate Republicans who this week put forward a $618 billion counterproposal have suggested reducing the next round of direct payments to $1,000 payments for individuals earning less than $40,000 or joint filers earnings less than $80,000, with payments phasing out once income reaches $50,000 or $100,000, respectively.
Crucial Quote
Biden told Democrats on the Wednesday call that “we can’t walk away from an additional $1,400 in direct checks,” the Washington Post’s Erica Werner reported. “I’m not going to start my administration by breaking a promise to people.”
Key Background
Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who won runoff elections in Georgia in January and shifted control of that chamber to Democrats, both publicly supported sending $2,000 checks to Americans during their campaigns, and Democrats across the country (including President Biden) ran on campaigns of aggressive and immediate coronavirus relief legislation. In the final days before those January elections, President Biden said that victory for Democrats would mean that $2,000 stimulus checks would be sent out “immediately.” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) weighed in on the issue last weekend: “You can’t campaign on a series of issues and then after the election, when you get in power say, ‘Oh, well, you know what? We’re changing our mind,’” he told ABC’s This Week. “That’s not the way it works.”
Further Reading
Report: Democrats Open To Capping Income For Stimulus Checks At $50,000 A Year For Individuals (Forbes)
Manchin Doubles Down On Call For Bipartisan Stimulus: We’re Not Going To ‘Shove It Down People’s Throats’ (Forbes)
Senate Democrats Move Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Plan Forward—With Or Without Republican Support (Forbes)
Both Competing Stimulus Plans Would Return Economy To Pre-Pandemic Levels By The Second Quarter, But Here’s Where They Differ (Forbes)
