Stimulus Checks: Taxpayers Jokingly Use Cinco de Mayo to Rally Support for Second Payment

As unemployment rates continue to rise, Americans are getting creative as they rally their support [...]

As unemployment rates continue to rise, Americans are getting creative as they rally their support around a proposed second coronavirus stimulus check. Currently, millions of checks have already been sent out, but some are keeping their fingers crossed that a second set of checks will soon follow. On Tuesday, Twitter users jumped on a new call for the idea, hilariously utilizing Cinco de Mayo.

It didn't take long for the trend to catch on, with dozens of other Americans offering their own spins on the pun. With just over 120 million checks having been received, millions of other people are still waiting, prompting several to comment with "Cinco de mail me the first one," "Cinco de-rect deposit," and "I didn't Cinco de - Get the first one." Others were quick to write that the first payment, which is approximately $1,200 for eligible singles, just wasn't enough to keep them afloat, while some pointed out that they weren't even eligible for the first check, which was part of the $2 trillion CARES Act.

At this time, there doesn't seem to be any plans for a second check. After the House of Representatives approved a $484 billion stimulus aid package, which mainly aims to offer relief to small businesses, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that it was an "interim measure" and said that government "must prepare another major bill similar in size and ambition to the Cares Act." Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, however, had a different viewpoint, stating that it was time to "push the pause button" on additional spending legislation.

That being said, a second round of payments isn't entirely off the table. In mid-April, Rep. Tim Ryan and Rep. Ro Khanna introduced the Emergency Money for the People Act. Supported by a growing number of Democratic co-sponsors, the proposed bill, if passed, would give $2,000 to single Americans over the age of 16 who make less than $130,000; and $4,000 to married couples, with qualifying families receiving $500 per child for up to three children. Deliverable via direct deposit, check, or mobile apps such as Venmo, the payments would continue for at least six months.

A similar measure has been proposed by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. A strong advocate of Universal Basic Income (UBI), Yang in April tweeted that the federal government should give every American a monthly stimulus check of $2,000 "for the duration of this crisis."

0comments