Stimulus Checks: Income Eligibility Possibly Capped at $40,000 Sparks Strong Response Online

Following recent reports that a potential second round of stimulus checks could come with a much [...]

By Allison Schonter

Following recent reports that a potential second round of stimulus checks could come with a much lower income eligibility cap, social media is speaking out. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters that amid another round of direct payments being part of the next relief bill, he is considering setting the income cap at just $40,000 as he thinks "the people who have been hit the hardest are people who make" that much or less a year.

That $40,000 figure would mean that millions of American households would no longer be eligible to receive a stimulus payment, despite having received one under the first round. Passed in March, the CARES Act capped income eligibility at $99,000 for singles and $198,000 for joint filers, with the total amount of payments phasing out for those earning more than those amounts. This new cap, should it be implemented, would result in approximately 80 million households being eligible for payments, according to Kyle Pomerleau, an economist and resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

With coronavirus cases surging, resulting in several cities to take a step back in the phased reopening of their economies, and unemployment rates still sitting at record levels, demand for a second stimulus check has been growing. McConnell's statement, unsurprisingly, was met with strong opposition from the American people, who fear that they will be left out of further economic impact payments even if they are struggling. Keep scrolling to catch up on the discussion currently taking place on Twitter.

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