The United States Senate returned from a two-week recess on Monday to begin negotiating a second stimulus check. The Senate has ignored the stimulus package passed by the U.S. Congress back in May, and is expected to pass its own legislation instead. Social media is growing increasingly impatient for more financial aid.
Most Americans received one stimulus check some time between April and June, worth up to $1,200 based on their income. They also received unemployment enhancements and other financial support from the CARES Act — passed in March when the coronavirus pandemic first reached the U.S. With many of those measures set to expire, however, the prolonged wait for a second stimulus check is beginning to frustrate many people — including the most outspoken online.
Lawmakers have been discussing another stimulus package since the first one was passed, with many advocating for even more financial aid than the first check provided. Congress passed the HEROES Act in May, which would have created a stimulus check similar to the first one — worth up to $1,200 based on income. Many prominent senators in the Republican majority have said that even this is too much, citing concerns about the growing national debt.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, senators and congresspeople want a bigger check, paid monthly or quarterly until the coronavirus crisis is behind us. This week, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Ed Markey and Sen. Bernie Sanders are expected to make one final push for their Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act, which would provide $2,000 per month to all Americans until three months after the COVID-19 pandemic is officially over.
While Republicans and other opponents of bills like this have scoffed at the idea, several other developed countries have done something similar for their citizens to get through this crisis, according to a report by Business Insider. Spain, for example, intends to roll its monthly stimulus check into a new, permanent basic income program, while the Netherlands is paying up to 90 percent of workers' salaries.
The purpose of these programs is to keep people from going to work unless they are absolutely essential — a prospect that has challenged many Americans, including politicians. Here is a look at how people are responding to the Senate's first day back in session to work on a second stimulus check.