Will There Be a Second Stimulus?

With the country reeling as the coronavirus continues to put dampen the economy, all eyes have turned to the next response that will come from the federal government. After the first round of stimulus checks began to roll out, a big question that many wondered was whether or not another set of checks would be in the mail.

As proponents of this idea preached, one $1,200 check can only go so far. Plenty of talk at the national level has been centered on working on proposals for a second stimulus check and even more in the future. Senators Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey introduced a plan they call the Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act. In short, it’s a rebate program that would give eligible individuals a stimulus check each month the pandemic lasts. Instead of $1,200, this plan calls for $2,000 checks or $4,000 for married couples who file together. Their plan would go through the length of the coronavirus’ impact in the states and then three months after the pandemic ends as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

This is just one of multiple proposals that have been made by members of Congress. All of them are set at $2,000 per month but one would also be an additional $1,000 per month for a whole year after the end of the pandemic. Another would be $2,000 for each month the rest of the year while also putting a halt to rental and mortgage payments. As of now, there is no particular plan that is above the others. In one of his tweets, Sanders wrote that, “A $1,200 check ain’t enough. We need $2,000 a month, per person, to make America’s working families whole.” In a statement put out by Harris, the former Democratic presidential candidate said this plan is to help “make ends meet” for struggling families.

“The CARES Act gave Americans an important one-time payment, but it’s clear that wasn’t nearly enough to meet the needs of this historic crisis.” Harris said in the statement. “The Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act will ensure families have the resources they need to make ends meet. I am eager to continue working with Senators Sanders and Markey as we push to pass this bill immediately.”