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Joe Biden has chosen Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate in the November election, and now voters want to know where he stands on stimulus relief, given Harris’ dramatic proposal to Congress on the issue.
The Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act, introduced by Harris and two other senators in May, would send $2,000 per month to individuals and $4,000 to married couples who file jointly, along with an additional $2,000 per child, up to three children. Any individual earning under $120,000 would be eligible; the payments would be reduced for income over $100,000 for individuals or $200,000 for married couples. The payments would be phased out by 10% of any amount over these limits.
Does Biden support Harris’ plan to send Americans monthly payments until the pandemic is over? Does he support the retroactive nature of the bill?
It’s not clear. Biden has said very little on the topic of stimulus payments throughout his campaign. He hasn’t said much more since he tapped Harris as his running mate. He has never publicly endorsed the notion of monthly stimulus payments, though he has vaguely supported stimulus in the past.
Here’s what you need to know:
Biden Supports an Additional Stimulus Check ‘Should Conditions Require’ It
People are losing their homes. Millions have already lost their paychecks. Our country is in crisis.
The virus isn’t taking a break — Republicans shouldn’t either. The House did their job. President Trump, bring the Senate back and pass a relief bill. Now.
Biden’s official website indicates he would do the following to remedy the pandemic-induced crisis in America:
- Provide another stimulus check “should conditions require.”
- Forgive $10,000 per person of federal student loans, minimum.
- Increase monthly Social Security checks by $200 each.
- Offer emergency paid sick leave to every American worker.
- Ensure that no one has to pay out of pocket for COVID-19 testing, treatment or any future relevant vaccine.
- Provide “all necessary fiscal relief.”
Biden has not been specific regarding the amount, eligibility requirements or frequency of future stimulus payments. Jeff Stein of The Washington Post wrote, “Biden’s campaign has largely deferred to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on the specifics of coronavirus stimulus legislation.”
Biden’s economic plan does acknowledge the possibility of stimulus payments, saying a proposal “could include cash payments to working families,” but that’s as specific as the former vice president has gotten so far.
Biden’s silence has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to sign a petition demanding he publicly endorse a plan like Harris’ that would provide a form of universal basic income until the crisis is over. As of August 16, the petition has over 373,000 signatures.
As for Harris, she publicly supported her monthly payment plan throughout the summer. However, she has not made a public statement about stimulus checks since she was selected as Biden’s running mate.
Who Would Be Eligible for Harris’ Stimulus Proposal?
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Any individual earning under $120,000 or couple earning under $240,000 jointly would be eligible for Harris’ stimulus payments. A person would not need a Social Security number or to have filed taxes recently to be eligible, unlike the requirements of the first stimulus payment in the CARES Act. The payments would be reduced for incomes over $100,000 for individuals, or $200,000 for married couples.
In a webcast interview hosted by The Appeal, Harris addressed fears about how much these monthly payments would cost the U.S. government. She said, per CNBC, “One of the things, first of all, that I find tiring is those who want to suggest, ‘Oh, this is a lot of money,’ when they’re the same people who passed a tax bill benefiting the top 1% and the biggest corporations of America and are going to cause us to face a $1 trillion deficit as a result of it.”
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