California Sen. Kamala Harris, who was recently named as Joe Biden’s running mate in the presidential election, previously advocated for additional economic impact payments. Unlike the CARES Act, which called for a one-time $1,200 for eligible Americans, Harris proposed a much higher total for individuals dealing with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The vice-presidential candidate previously made her “final pitch” for $2,000 monthly payments back in mid-July before Senate Republicans unveiled their latest plan, the HEALS Act.
Harris, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Ed Markey, unveiled the Monthly Economic Support Act earlier this year. Their plan would give $2,000 a month to Americans who make less than $120,000 per year. Additionally, they could receive an additional $2,000 for each dependent (with a maximum of three dependents). This legislation would be retroactive to March 2020 and would last until three months following the end of the pandemic. In July, Harris made her “final pitch” for the initiative and spoke about what it would entail during an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes.
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“Through the course of this pandemic and crisis, we need to give people $2,000 a month as recurrent payments—people below a certain income level—to help them and sustain them through these months of crisis so at the end of it, they can get back up on their feet instead of falling deep deep deep into the crevices of this crisis,” she said at the time, per Forbes. And, it does not make any sense, to your point, when we have Republicans in Congress who are standing in the way of supporting working people who have recently lost their jobs—[and] have every intention of working—when we can get through this crisis and [they] just need help from their government.”
This plan has not made any headway in Congress. Lawmakers are still trying to hammer out details for another stimulus package. In late July, Senate Republicans unveiled their stimulus proposal, the HEALS Act. Their plan would work similarly to the CARES Act as far as payments are concerned. Under the HEALS Act, eligible Americans would receive another one-time $1,200 check, a far cry from the $2,000 per month that Harris’ plan would provide. As of right now, Congress has not been able to come to any agreements regarding another stimulus package. So, there’s no telling how much Americans will be able to receive via economic impact payments.
