The coronavirus pandemic is expected to continue for quite some time, and accordingly, lawmakers are already discussing another stimulus check to keep the American people afloat. One proposal would guarantee Americans a payment worth up to $2,000 per month for at least six months, or until unemployment rates return to their pre-outbreak levels. According to a report by Forbes, support for this bill is still growing.
The bill is called the Emergency Money for the People Act, and it was originally proposed by Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio and Rep. Ro Khanna of California. Several other lawmakers have gotten on board since the bill was introduced on April 14. So far, it has 28 cosponsors — all Democrats — and it looks like that number may still be on the rise. So far, no senators have weighed in on how they would feel about the bill if it made it that far.
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The Emergency Money for the People Act had 18 Democratic cosponsors when it was introduced last month. It has since gained ten new ones — Rep. Eleanor Norton (Washington, D.C.), Rep. Grace Napolitano (California), Rep. Susan Davis (California), Rep. David Cicilline (Rhode Island), Rep. Veronica Escobar (Texas), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan (California), Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (Florida), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (Oregon) and Rep. Steve Cohen (Tennessee).
The bill would provide stimulus checks each month along similar criteria to the ones being distributed now — though with several chances to make the process more smooth. It would raise the earning threshold from $99,000 per year to $130,000 per year, and would include full-time college students and other adult dependents as well. Parents would still receive an additional $500 for children, up to three children per family.
The lawmakers sponsoring the bill have repeatedly pointed out the sky-high unemployment levels in the U.S. and the threat of the coronavirus, keeping businesses from going on hiring sprees. They see the stimulus checks as a way to ensure that Americans can afford food and housing through the pandemic, and focus soley on their health.
“Rent is due this week. Utilities are coming up. Americans need cash, this month, next month and every month after that until this crisis ends,” Khanna tweeted. “Tim Ryan’s and my plan to send $2K monthly checks would give Americans the cash they need to keep our local economies afloat.”
The Emergency Money for the People Act is still in the early stages in congress. For the latest information on the coronavirus pandemic, visit the websites of the CDC and the World Health Organization.
