Stimulus Checks: Payments of $900 or More Has American Support in Both Parties, But Talks Remain Stalled

The second round of stimulus checks has gained bipartisan support not just among lawmakers, but also voters, remaining perhaps the only thing to gain such widespread approval amid the heated 2020 presidential election cycle. As talks remain stalled on Capitol Hill regarding a relief package, a new Gallup poll released Monday found that the majority of American voters support a stimulus check of at least $900.

According to the poll, 70% of American adults, comprised of both Democrats and Republicans, support the distribution of an additional round of economic impact payments to all eligible Americans. Of those, 66% said these payments should be equal to or greater than $900. Fourteen percent, meanwhile, believed any additional amount should be between $600 and $899, while 16% said they should be between $300 and $599. Only 4% of those polled said additional payments, should they be approved, should be less than $300.

The poll also found that among voters in both political parties, the majority favored the second round of stimulus checks. According to the survey, 82% of Democrats supported the relief measure, with 64% of Republicans and 66% of Independents giving their approval. Just 9% of Democrats, 24% of Republicans, and 19% of Independents said they did not believe a second payment should be approved and distributed to the American people.

The poll concluded that "this reflects a broad consensus among the American public, with a majority of both Democrats and Republicans supporting another round of stimulus payments." Gallup noted that "despite deep polarization on several policies related to COVID-19, an additional EIP receives strong support among both Democrats and Republicans."

The poll received its results from the Franklin Templeton-Gallup Economics of Recovery Study, which was conducted between Aug. 3 and Aug. 11, the time during which discussions on Capitol Hill became deadlocked and ultimately collapsed. Since that stall in negotiations, little progress has been made, leaving the fate of the second round of stimulus payments in limbo. Provision for expenses had been included in both the HEROES Act, proposed by Democrats, and the HEALS Act, proposed by Republicans, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin just this week expressed a desire to include an additional payment in any other stimulus relief package. An upcoming proposal from Senate Republicans, however, would not have a second round of payments.