COVID-19 Second Stimulus Check: Will You Get a Second Check?

Is the next stimulus check the last?

Getty Does the Senate's 'skinny' bill include another stimulus check?

On Tuesday, Republicans revealed their scaled back ‘skinny’ bill, which is expected to be voted on by the Senate later this week.

As it stands, the legislation does not include another round of stimulus checks, according to Forbes. It also leaves out aid to state and local governments and more funding for nutrition programs.

What the trimmed-down proposal does include is a $300 federal boost for unemployment benefits through the week ending December 27, as well as relief for small businesses. It would also provide $105 billion in education funds and $15 billion for child care grants, $20 billion in farm aid, and $500 million for fisheries, according to Politico.

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The American people don’t need us to keep arguing over what might be perfect, they need us to actually make a law. We’re going to get stonewalling of Democratic leaders out from behind closed doors and put this to a vote out here on the floor. And it’s going to happen this week.”

Here’s what you need to know:


The Bill Could Be Voted on On Thursday

According to CNN, the legislation, which comes in at around $500 billion, could be voted on as early as Thursday. However, it would need to pass in the Senate and the House, and then be signed by President Donald Trump, in order to become law.

In the words of CNN, “There are still several Republicans threatening to vote against the new proposal and it’s unlikely to gain any support from Democrats — who are unified behind a much larger $3 trillion stimulus package that passed the House in May.”

According to Forbes, it’s unclear that GOP Senators will even support the bill. The outlet wrote, “…it’s highly unlikely that the skinny proposal will get the 60 votes (including at least seven Democrats and independents) that would be needed to overcome a filibuster.”

Democrats have already dismissed the package. On Tuesday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “Senate Republicans appear dead-set on another bill which doesn’t come close to addressing the problems and is headed nowhere… If anyone doubts McConnell’s true intent is anything but political, just look at the bill. This proposal is laden with poison pills Republicans know Democrats would never support.”


Negotiations Have Reached an Impasse

Over the past few weeks, negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on what should be contained in the next economic relief package have reached a standstill, with both parties failing to agree on both the smaller details and the larger ones, such as the total cost of a package.

After Congress failed to hit its self-imposed August 7 deadline to agree on the parameters of a bill, Trump signed four executive orders. But as USA Today pointed out, “But questions remain over the legality of the orders, and they have taken weeks to implement, with some experts warning it could be weeks before many unemployed Americans see any additional benefits.”

Last Friday, Vice President Mike Pence reiterated that the White House supports another round of stimulus checks struggling in the wake of the pandemic. However, with lawmakers still at an impasse, there is no saying how long it will take for both sides of the aisle to agree on the parameters of another economic relief package.

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