Second Stimulus Check: Why You May Get More Than $1,200 With Second Payment

The first coronavirus relief package — the CARES Act — gave Americans $1,200 stimulus checks, [...]

By Stephen Andrew

The first coronavirus relief package — the CARES Act — gave Americans $1,200 stimulus checks, but a potential second round of payments could be more. According to CNET, stimulus payments amounts are one thing that both Democrat and Republican leaders have yet to agree on, though both parties have expressed overwhelming support for a second stimulus of some kind. Additionally, the outlet noted that, per a national survey, 70% of American residents also want a second stimulus.

There is currently no way of knowing how the negotiations over stimulus amount will go, but it is possible that lawmakers could approve a bill that gives $1,200 to all citizens — $2,400 to married couples who file their taxes jointly — and their dependents, up to three. This is the amount outlined in the HEROES Act, which was passed by the House in May. The Cares Act only provided $500 for dependents. At this time, the most a family of 5 (a married couple who files their taxes jointly + three children) would get is $6,000. This would also be the maximum amount, meaning that any family unit with more than 3 dependents would still only get $6,000.

Negotiations on the next stimulus package stalled in early August, after the top Democrat leaders and Trump administration officials could not come to an agreement on the provisions of the bill. While Trump, White House officials, and GOP leaders have placed blame on the Democrats for holding up a new bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has hit back at those accusations, saying that the issue is Republicans being unwilling to compromise on bill inclusions such as emergency aid funding. "We're not budging. They have to move. They have to move," she stated, per The Hill.

"Why should there be a bill that has far less [of] what the public needs?" Pelosi added. "We have that responsibility, and they're just going to have to come up with more money." She has also said that Democrats are willing to decrease their desired $3 trillion relief bill budget by $1 trillion, but that Republicans do not want to increase their limit by the same amount. Republicans have refuted this by saying that Pelosi wants the bill to be $2.5 trillion. At this time, there is no word on when official relief bill negotiations will resume.

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