Stimulus Checks: Reported White House Support of Second Relief Payment Stirs Social Media

Daniel S. Levine

05/15/2020 09:41 am EDT

Social media is in a stir after CNBC reported that the White House would "likely" support a second round of stimulus checks. The report was published on the eve of the House of Representatives' vote on the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, which will likely not be passed by the Senate. The $3 trillion bill will include a second round of stimulus checks, following the first Economic Impact Payments that were included in March's $2.2 trillion CARES Act.

CNBC cited two senior administration officials Thursday night. President Donald Trump's administration did not directly comment on the report. "As President Trump has said, we are going to ensure that we take care of all Americans so that we emerge from this challenge healthy, stronger, and with economic prosperity, which is why the White House is focused on pro-growth, middle class tax and regulatory relief," the White House said in a statement.

The first Economic Income Payment included $1,200 for American taxpayers who filed their 2018 or 2019 federal taxes and have an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less. The total doubled for couples who filed jointly and had an income of $150,000 or less. The payments also included $500 for each dependent under 17 years old. If your adjusted gross income was between $75,000 and $99,000, the payments were reduced based on income. Anyone with an income above that was not eligible for a stimulus check. More than 20 million Americans are still waiting on the check, based on IRS data.

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The HEROES Act is supported by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but is unlikely to become law because Senate Republicans have been apprehensive about passing more coronavirus relief bills. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it the HEROES Act a "totally unserious effort" and a "seasonal catalog of left-wing oddities and called it a coronavirus relief bill," reports the Associated Press. The White House said the HEROES Act is "more concerned with delivering on longstanding partisan and ideological wishlists than with enhancing the ability of our Nation to deal with the public health and economic challenges we face."

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The HEROES Act, unveiled Tuesday, is more than 1,800 pages, reports CBS News. It includes a new direct payment to Americans, providing $1,200 to every family member, up to $6,000 per household. The bill also includes $3.6 billion in grants to states for election safety, $25 billion to help the U.S. Postal Service, $50 million to help farmers and $75 billion in funding for coronavirus testing, contact tracing and coronavirus treatment.

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"I could def use it! Have not been to work since march 13th and still have not heard back from unemployment!" one person wrote on Facebook. "Yeah right - never got the first one," another wrote, echoing many others with the same concerns.

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