A group of Democratic lawmakers are calling on Joe Biden to take it upon himself to include recurring direct checks for Americans in h...
A group of Democratic lawmakers are calling on Joe Biden to take it upon himself to include recurring direct checks for Americans in his coronavirus recovery plan on top of the $1,400 checks included in the latest relief package.
'We urge you to include recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions tied to economic conditions in your Build Back Better long-term economic plan,' a Tuesday letter, spearheaded by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, reads. 'This crisis is far from over, and families deserve certainty that they can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.'
It adds: 'Families should not be at the mercy of constantly-shifting legislative timelines and ad hoc solutions.'
The group of 10 Democratic senators say the Build Back Better program should fund recurring payments as well as boosted and automatic unemployment insurance benefits for those who have lost their jobs.
A group of 10 Democratic senators sent a letter to Joe Biden Tuesday pushing the president to include recurring direct checks for Americans in his coronavirus recovery plan
The lawmakers are claiming Americans should not be at the mercy of congressional timelines and partisan antics for their relief in the pandemic
Co-signers with Oregon Senator Wyden include Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Alex Padilla of California.
These benefits would be added on top of the one-time $1,400 checks included in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill currently making its way to the Senate after passing, mostly along party lines, in the House.
The 10 Democrats argue that struggling American families should not be at the mercy of congressional timelines and partisan antics.
They lay out in their letter that two payments of $1,200 at separate times, coupled with boosted unemployment benefits could keep 6.3 million people above the poverty line in the midst of the COVID crisis.
'As you have said, now is the time for boldness,' the senators wrote in their letter. 'As you prepare your Build Back Better plan for long-term economic recovery, know that we are ready to work with you in support of recurring direct checks and extended unemployment insurance benefits to support Americans who are still struggling during the pandemic.'
The push for even more relief comes as the Senate prepares to take up the nearly $2 trillion relief package this week.
The effort is being led Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden
Progressive were dealt a blow when the Senate parliamentarian ruled that a minimum wage hike to $15 could not be included in the massive package, which is expected to pass now that Republicans no longer control the upper chamber.
The latest legislation includes $1,400 direct checks for Americans on top of the $600 passed earlier this year, which brings the total combined to $2,000 – the number Democrats, some Republicans and even then-President Donald Trump were pushing for at the time.
The $1.9 trillion bill, if passed, would extend federal unemployment benefits through the end of August while providing a $400 per week boost to benefits starting in mid-March and going through the end of August.
No comments