COVID-HIT Americans are demanding new monthly $2,000 stimulus checks to help buffer the financial impact of the pandemic.
A petition calling for the recurring payments has garnered more than 2.3 million signatures and 80 Democrats in Congress support direct payments.
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The petition was first started last year on Change.org by Colorado restaurant owner Stephanie Bonin.
She said: “We’re out of work and out of cash.
“Another single check won’t solve our problems – people are just too far behind.
“Like we’ve been saying from the beginning of this pandemic, people need to know when the next check is coming.
“And the best thing our government can do right now is to send emergency money to the people on a monthly basis.”
As well as the $2,000 monthly checks, the petition asks Congress to approve $1,000 monthly payments for people’s dependents.
The best thing our government can do right now is to send emergency money to the people on a monthly basis
Stephanie Bonin, petition founder
Bonin said: “Congress needs to make sure that we won’t be financially ruined for doing our part to keep the country healthy.”
Since the start of the pandemic there have been three rounds of stimulus checks.
The first, approved in March 2020, included payments of up to $1,200, followed by payments of up to $600 in December of the same year.
In March Congress passed a third round of up to $1,400 per person.
President Biden has yet to comment on the possibility of the fourth check, but last week he did acknowledge the importance of financial help to Congress
He said: “We’ve already sent more than 160 million checks out the door. It’s making a difference.
“For many people, it’s making all the difference in the world.”
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Meanwhile, a group of Democratic Representatives and Senators have sent separate letters to the White House calling for recurring monthly payments.
But Republicans were expected to oppose this.
Economist praises the government’s stimulus plan during Covid crisis as Biden fails to commit on fourth one
