Petition for $ 2,000 monthly passes 2.9 million signatures

A senior citizens’ advocacy group is calling on Congress to propose legislation that would provide a fourth stimulus check of $ 1,400 to Social Security recipients in the United States.

The Non-Partisan League of Seniors (TSCL) rallies 38,720 supporters for a petition calling on congressional lawmakers to pass a series of $ 1,400 “emergency stimulus checks” to help an estimated 69 million Social Security beneficiaries , including retirees, adults with disabilities and their dependents, widows and widowers — to deal with “the year of unprecedented inflation”.

“A very significant portion is actually asking for help as quickly as possible,” said Mary Johnson, policy analyst at TSCL. News week. “I have received several emails from people saying they are at risk of losing their homes because they cannot pay all the bills.”

Data collected by the group shows an estimated 6.2% increase in the cost of living for social security in 2022, far exceeding the 1.3% increase in benefits this year.

Another month of signature collection, the group will contact members of Congress next week with the number of Social Security recipients from their districts or states who have signed the petition.

Meanwhile, a separate petition for monthly stimulus checks of $ 2,000 for American adults and $ 1,000 for dependents until the end of the pandemic has drawn 2,907,870 signatures.

The online petition, started by Denver restaurant owner Stephanie Bonin, will become one of the most signed on Change.org if it hits its goal of 3 million signatures.

This year, dozens of congressional lawmakers – 21 senators, 56 representatives – and more than 150 economists pushed President Joe Biden to support the monthly stimulus checks.

Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, introduced a bill in late July that would establish a universal federal basic income system. Under the proposed five-year pilot program, US adults earning less than $ 75,000 would receive $ 1,200 and $ 600 for each dependent.

But the bill has not gained much ground in Congress. Only four House Democrats — Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Jamaal Bowman of New York, Cori Bush of Missouri, and Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania — signed the bill.

The Biden administration has signaled that stimulus is no longer a priority, and congressional leaders have expressed no intention of adding cash payments to their fall legislative agenda. Rather, Democrats are focusing on rallying moderates and progressives in the caucus behind a bipartisan $ 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and multibillion dollar spending program that will shape the president’s legacy. .