COVID-19 Stimulus Checks: Monthly $2,000 Checks Are Needed ‘Now,’ Harris Says

Senator Kamala Harris has been an ongoing advocate for monthly stimulus relief for the American people, pushing for monthly $2,000 checks to go to a broad swath of Americans until the pandemic is over. Harris, a top contender for vice president on Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s ticket, tweeted about the urgent need for this financial support on Sunday, August 2.

Sharing an article by The Washington Post that outlines just how “broken” the U.S. unemployment system is right now, Harris tweeted, “Congress must immediately pass my bill with @BernieSanders and @EdMarkey to get $2,000 a month in Americans’ hands. We need direct monthly cash payments and we need them now.”

Earlier in the week, Harris elaborated on her support for a monthly payment system for Americans during the pandemic. She tweeted, “Mitch McConnell and the GOP let the additional $600 in unemployment benefits expire. They let the federal evictions moratorium expire. With rent due today, millions aren’t sure how they’ll pay. This is why I called for monthly payments back in March.”

Harris has campaigned for this stimulus plan since introducing a bill in May, CNBC reported.

Here’s what you need to know:

Harris’ Plan Would Provide $4,000 to Married Couples & Additional Assistance for Children

On May 8, Harris introduced her monthly stimulus check plan alongside Senators Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey. Per CNBC, the plan aims to provide monthly stimulus relief to adults who earn up to $120,000 per year, a higher income bar than the limit of $75,000 set by the CARES Act in March.

The plan would be retroactive back to March. Eligible married couples would receive $4,000 monthly, and families could receive $2,000 per child up to three children. Monthly payments would, under this plan, continue throughout the coronavirus crisis and three months after the crisis ends.

This proposal is considered one of the more extreme stimulus payment plans. Harris has continued to voice her support for a monthly stimulus plan. She spoke to MSNBC in mid-July about the plan, according to Forbes, saying:

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.

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.

Harris’ Plan Could Receive More Support if She Becomes Biden’s Pick for Vice President

The monthly stimulus proposal has received little support from Democrats in Congress. However, that could change if Harris is selected as Biden’s pick for vice president.

It’s unlikely that Harris’ plan will generate the support necessary to be debated on the House and Senate floors in the next week. After the first week of August, Congress takes another summer break and returns in September. That means the plan is more likely to be considered at the end of 2020 or in the new year, if at all.

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