As Washington lawmakers work to come to an agreement on a new coronavirus relief package, one key question has emerged: Will the next stimulus checks be $1,400?
President Joe Biden sought to end that debate in a press conference on Friday by re-affirming his commitment to $1,400.
“I’m not cutting the size of the checks,” Biden said. “They’re going to be $1,400. Period.
“That’s what the American people were promised.”
The president also said the payments need to be targeted so that “folks making $300,000 don’t get any windfall.”
The additional direct payments are part of Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.
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The $1,400 sums would go to individuals, as well as child and adult dependents, based on certain income thresholds. If the same criteria are used as for the first two rounds of checks, individuals making up to $75,000 and married couples who earn up to $150,000 would see full payments.
The stimulus checks are very popular with the American public. A recent poll from Quinnipiac University found that 78% of Americans favor the $1,400 checks, compared to 68% who support Biden’s overall $1.9 trillion package.
A group of 10 Republican senators unveiled their own $618 billion relief proposal this week. That package has checks of $1,000 per person, plus $500 per qualifying child and adult dependent.
Those lawmakers also sought to lower the thresholds for full payments to $40,000 per individual and $80,000 per couple. The payments would also phase out more quickly and be capped at $50,000 per individual and $100,000 per couple.
Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/05/biden-wants-stimulus-checks-to-be-1400-how-they-could-be-targeted.html
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