AOC and Sanders call for $ 1,200 stimulus checks in COVID-19 relief bill

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doubled down on her call for another wave of direct payments of $ 1,200 to Americans on Friday during the coronavirus pandemic.
• “If people don’t get UI help, and if they don’t get stimulus checks, then relief won’t be felt in their lives, not in a substantial way,” Ocasio -Cort told NBC News.
• Representative Rashida Tlaib and GOP Senator Josh Hawley also urged lawmakers to approve a second round of stimulus checks.
• Stimulus checks like those distributed to millions of U.S. taxpayers under the CARES Act this spring are missing from the $ 908 billion coronavirus relief program that is gaining traction in Congress.
• Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont echoed the demand of his colleagues by announcing that he would not vote for the latest relief bill without “significant” changes, including the addition of checks for $ 1,200.
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Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive lawmakers are calling for another wave of direct payments of $ 1,200 to be included in the $ 908 billion coronavirus stimulus package that is gaining momentum in Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders have signaled their willingness to move forward with relief legislation despite their calls for a federal aid package of at least $ 2.2 trillion.

Ocasio-Cortez Garrett Haake told NBC News As part of the new relief bill on Friday included positive measures, she feared that without unemployment insurance and out-of-pocket payments, Americans in need would not receive direct relief.

“If people don’t get UI help, and if they don’t get stimulus checks, then relief won’t be felt in their lives, not in a substantial way,” he said. Ocasio-Cortez said. “And so will I support the resources of hospitals, schools and firefighters? Absolutely. But I am extremely concerned that this will not solve people’s immediate problems.”

She added that “if you’re on the verge of eviction or if you’re overdue with six months of bills, you need that check, you need the check, and state and local funding isn’t going. not help you. “

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont followed Ocasio-Cortez’s request by announcing that he would not vote for the latest relief bill unless “significant” changes are made, including the addition of checks of $ 1,200.

Read more: The $ 908 billion coronavirus stimulus deal could be Congress’ next vote: Here’s what’s in the relief package and what you might get

—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 4, 2020

—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 4, 2020

Other progressives, such as Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib, also advocated the inclusion of out-of-pocket payments. Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted Friday that it would be “immoral” to pass another relief bill without a stimulus check. And there is some GOP support for direct payments – Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has signaled that he will not vote for a relief program without stimulus checks and tweeted friday that he would “gladly work” with Ocasio-Cortez on this effort.

The government’s latest bailout was presented on Tuesday by a bipartisan group of 16 senators. Congressional Democrats adopted the framework a day later, saying it should be the starting point for negotiations with Republicans after months of deadlock.

Although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell favors a slimmer bailout, some GOP senators are lining up behind the compromise proposal. There is still a lack of legislative text, expected early next week.

Ocasio-Cortez has been outspoken in her support for a new round of stimulus checks, but said checks alone, without funding for state and local governments, would amount to “high sugar.”

She also sharply criticized the GOP’s efforts to protect businesses and schools from legal liability if their employees become infected with COVID-19 at work. Republicans have insisted on including a so-called accountability shield in any relief bill, but many Democrats see it as a poison pill.

If Congress fails to pass a new relief bill, nearly 12 million Americans could lose their unemployment benefits by Boxing Day, when their pandemic aid expires. Millions of Americans could be evicted from their homes when a national moratorium on evictions expires at the end of December, along with the forbearance of student loans.

Pressure is mounting on Congress as cases of COVID-19 increase across the country. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that the pace of hiring declined for the fifth straight month in November, with 10 million Americans remaining unemployed.

President-elect Joe Biden has insisted that any stimulus adopted before his inauguration at the end of January would constitute a “down payment” on a more comprehensive relief package he would seek to adopt early in his presidency.

“Any package passed during the lame-duck session is not enough,” Biden said Friday. “This is just the start. Congress will have to act again in January.”

As part of the CARES Act in March, Congress and President Donald Trump authorized $ 1,200 in out-of-pocket payments for millions of U.S. taxpayers earning up to $ 75,000 per year, plus an additional $ 500 per child under. 17 years. $ 99,000. Married couples earning up to $ 150,000 per year were also eligible for full payment.

The Treasury Department and the IRS distributed nearly $ 153 million in stimulus payments this year, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. The program cost $ 292 billion.