Progressives push for direct payments to be included in COVID-19 relief deal
By Naomi Jagoda - 12/04/20 03:10 PM EST
Progressives are pushing for direct payments to Americans to be included in a COVID-19 package, as lawmakers work to secure a deal before the end of the year.
Congress in March enacted legislation that provided for a single round of stimulus payments of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child. There has been bipartisan interest in subsequent months in authorizing a second round of payments.
However, the $908 billion bipartisan proposal unveiled earlier this week by House and Senate moderates, which is at the center of the current negotiations over a relief package, does not include any direct payments.
Progressives see this omission as a shortcoming and are calling for additional direct payments, saying that they could help people cover basic expenses.
"The millions of people who are most desperately impacted need a check," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told reporters Friday.
excerpt:
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), an author of the proposal, told HuffPost the priority was to prevent assistance programs from expiring, but that he hopes another round of direct payments is enacted once President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
Updated at 3:20 p.m.
more
https://thehill.com/policy/finance/528811-progressives-push-for-direct-payments-to-be-included-in-covid-19-relief-deal
