Getty Will there be a second round of COVID-19 stimulus checks?
It appears that Republicans have coalesced around the need for a second COVID-19 stimulus check to Americans, but discord in the Senate among Republicans over other provisions in the new relief package could delay when you get your second check.
Congress returned to session on July 20. The Senate goes into its Senate Recess on August 7, so that’s the date by which the plan needs to be approved. The Senate comes back into session on September 8, according to Forbes. According to WRIC-TV, if disagreements push the passage of the second relief plan, including a second stimulus check, to the August recess date, it will take some time to process the checks, and you might not get one until the end of the summer.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on July 23 that President Donald Trump wants to “send out direct payments quickly so that in August people get more money.”
On July 23, Mnuchin revealed that the second stimulus checks will follow the same amount and eligibility rules as the first; that means millions of people will get another $1,200 check. The eligibility rules for the first round of checks specified that people earning less than $75,000 would qualify, with the checks being phased out up to $99,000 in income.
The Republican stimulus package is called CARES II. The amount of the stimulus checks is expected to be $1,200 like the last one, the television station reported.
There’s been growing dissent in the Republican ranks over spending, although the White House did drop a proposal for Social Security payroll tax cuts that had been upsetting some GOP senators.
Here’s what you need to know:
One Republican Walked Out of the Room & Compared the GOP to ‘Socialist Democrats’
Just came from Progressive Democrat, whoops, I’m mean Republican caucus:
They’re going to spend $105b more on education, more than we spend every year on the Dept of Education. Anyone remember when Reagan conservatives were for eliminating the Federal Dept. of Education?
As Republicans negotiate a $1 trillion or more stimulus relief package that is expected to contain a second COVID-19 stimulus check in some form, a top Republican left the room, saying the room full of GOP Senators and officials had basically turned into bunch of “Bernie Bros.”
That comment came from Rand Paul, the Republican Senator from Kentucky, who also compared Republicans grappling over stimulus spending to “Socialist Democrats.”
The details of the second stimulus plan, including the amount of a second check, are expected to be released by the GOP on July 23.
In addition to a second relief check, other things are also being negotiated, including a payroll tax cut desired by President Donald Trump and whether to extend the $600 extra unemployment benefits people are getting. The overall cost of the spending is also in dispute; the Democrats approved a plan costing more than $3 trillion. The Republicans’ starting point appears to be $1 trillion, but even that’s too much for some Senators.
“I just walked out of a meeting that could be sort of a Bernie bros, progressive caucus,” Paul said, according to The New York Times. “I’m alarmed that we’re talking about spending another trillion dollars we don’t have.”
Paul wrote on Twitter, “The majority of Republicans are now no different than socialist Democrats when it comes to debt. They simply don’t care about debt and are preparing to add at least another trillion dollars in debt this month, combined with the trillions from earlier this summer.”
He added: “Just came from Progressive Democrat, whoops, I’m mean Republican caucus: They’re going to spend $105b more on education, more than we spend every year on the Dept of Education. Anyone remember when Reagan conservatives were for eliminating the Federal Dept. of Education?”
Paul told The Washington Times, “They’re talking about spending another trillion dollars. It’s fiscally irresponsible and they should be ashamed of themselves.”
Other Republicans Are Speaking Out About the Spending Too
GettySenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
If another Republicans bolt, it could spell trouble for the plan or result in compromise that leads to a smaller amount or income guidelines for a second stimulus check and other measures. Some other Republicans are speaking out.
“At lunch today I asked my Republican colleagues, ‘What in the hell are we doing?'” Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas told CNN on July 21. “We’ll see where this ends up, we still don’t know the details of this initial proposal, but, as it’s written right now, I’m not only a no, I’m a hell no.”
Cruz wrote on Twitter: “As our nation continues to work through these unprecedented public health and economic crises, Congress should focus on reopening the economy and getting people back to work. Not shoveling more cash onto our pile of national debt.”
As our nation continues to work through these unprecedented public health and economic crises, Congress should focus on reopening the economy and getting people back to work. Not shoveling more cash onto our pile of national debt.
Republicans “remained deeply divided over several key elements,” The New York Times reported.
In a speech, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Republican plan should contain a second round of stimulus checks, loans for small businesses, and $105 billion for schools, according to CNN. He acknowledged that all Republican senators weren’t on board.
He told CNN that the GOP plan “enjoys fairly significant support among Republican senators” but “not everyone.”
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