Second Stimulus Checks: $1,200 Direct Payments May Still Be Possible

A second stimulus check may be back on the table, but perhaps not by the end of 2020. On Tuesday, Politico reporter Jake Sherman tweeted that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's view on those direct payments "has softened," and he may allow himself to be talked into them in the negotiations. Whether McConnell has "softened" enough to include the $1,200 checks in the new legislation remains to be seen.

The U.S. Congress is currently trying to work out a last-minute stimulus plan to pass before the end of the year so that Americans are not left waiting until late January for another chance. McConnell is reportedly negotiating directly with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with the intent of passing a stand-alone, "mid-sized relief bill." The White House is negotiating separately, and according to Sherman, President Donald Trump is in full support of a stimulus check.

Playbook this AM:@senatemajldr’s opposition to direct payments has softened.

WH, @realDonaldTrump and @GOPLeader are for direct payments. As of now, WH going to counter whatever senate GOP leadership puts out to incl. dir checks

KM, MMx2 and MNUCHIN spoke yesterday

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 8, 2020

Sherman's sources said that Trump plans to counter McConnell's offer with the addition of another round of stimulus checks, as he has favored the payments from the beginning. Sherman also noted that whatever plan these three parties came up with was the most likely to pass, not the compromises proposed by bipartisan groups.

"Not because they're doing anything wrong — they're not!" Sherman wrote of those lawmakers. "But it's late in the game, and if a package is going to come together, it's likely going to come from the leadership, with elements of that group's work being included."

Sherman referred to that bipartisan group as the "908 Coalition" because of the $908 billion stimulus package they are pushing. That package did not include a stimulus check either, instead focusing on unemployment, funding for schools and other pandemic-related programs around the country.

Pelosi said that she, McConnell and other top lawmakers are "in sync" on the plan for this new economic relief bill, after months of waiting. Since May, Americans have been hoping for a second stimulus check, but a stalemate in Congress has kept it from getting passed. Pelosi has repeatedly refused to consider compromises with Republicans, fearing that if she did, they would not negotiate any further with her.

With the pandemic raging on, many Americans are hopeful that Pelosi and McConnell's bill will be a stepping stone and a larger bill will come in January when President-elect Joe Biden and the new Congress take office. Inauguration Day is on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.