Democrat Senator Joe Manchin has opposed the proposal to offer $2,000 in stimulus checks to American citizens. In an interview with The Washington Post, he stressed that the most important thing to do right now is to vaccinate as many people as possible. His refusal to support further pandemic aid differs from most of the Democratic Party that approve the $2,000 pandemic relief checks. Manchin said that if the next round of stimulus checks is approved, it must only go to people who really need it.
Biden recently stated that the $600 stimulus check is “just a down payment.” He plans to provide $2,000 in direct payments to U.S. citizens. The president-elect stated that it was time to increase the minimum wage to $15, a move that could cause a loss of 1.3 million jobs, according to a 2019 report by the Congressional Budget Office.
Hunter Hammond, an analyst at Heights Securities, stated that Biden’s pandemic relief package proposal could cost the government up to $1.5 trillion. He said the new stimulus packages will be announced in two months since unemployment programs will extend into mid-March due to the recent relief package.
Though President Trump has also tried to get $2,000 stimulus checks approved, his attempts have been blocked by fellow Republicans. Most consider it a financial burden. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it “socialism for rich people.” He warned that it is a terrible way to help families who actually need it.
‘Necessity of the times’
However, Republican Lindsey Graham dismissed McConnell’s remarks, saying that handing out higher direct payments is not socialism but a necessity of the times. He encouraged President Trump to keep “fighting for the American people who are suffering.”
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The IRS and Treasury have begun distributing the $600 payments to eligible American citizens. However, people who filed their taxes through online tax preparation services might have delayed payments.
“It is disappointing that the IRS did not fix this problem, which it has known about for months… People who need money now may have to wait months until they can file a tax return and get their refund, unless the tax prep companies are able to forward the funds,” Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center, told The Epoch Times.
The IRS and Treasury are required to distribute the direct payments by Jan. 15. Individuals who make $75,000 or couples who earn $150,000 can receive full benefit of the program. Those who make more money will receive reduced amounts.
If an individual earns over $99,000, he is disqualified from receiving the relief. The payments are mainly distributed through direct deposit, but some people will receive checks. You can check the status of your payment by logging into your IRS account and visiting the “Get My Payment” page.
Governor Gavin Newsom has outlined a plan to provide additional $600 payments to low-income families in California.
“We want some immediate actions to distribute $2.4 billion in what we call the Golden State stimulus… This is our version of what the federal government just did but we want instead of $600 checks landing in people’s pocket based upon what the feds just did, we want to double it. We want to get $1,200 in people’s pockets… We are calling on some immediate action, we don’t want to wait till July,” he said in a virtual call with state leaders.
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