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President Joe Biden is doubling the amount of the next coronavirus stimulus check even as administration officials try to determine exactly who would receive payment.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Biden said his administration remained committed to $ 1,400 stimulus checks as part of its $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief program. That amount, combined with the payments of $ 600 approved in December, would bring the total of recent relief to $ 2,000, an amount supported by many members of Congress.
“I don’t cut the size of the checks,” Biden said. “They’re going to cost $ 1,400 – period. This is what the American people promised.
What remains unclear is who will be eligible to receive a stimulus payment. The president’s original proposal ensured that singles made up to $ 75,000 and married couples earning up to $ 150,000 were eligible for full payment. Biden has indicated, however, that he is open to negotiating eligibility criteria, which new Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen echoed.
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Yellen said she believed Americans earning $ 60,000 a year should be eligible for the full amount of out-of-pocket payments. That amount is about $ 10,000 more than a figure discussed by Republicans and conservative Democrats who are pushing for a series of “targeted” payments with income capped at $ 50,000.
“If you think of an elementary school teacher or a police officer who earns $ 60,000 a year and who deals with children who are out of school and people who have had to withdraw from the labor market to be taking care of them and a lot of extra burdens, the president thinks, and I certainly agree, that it’s appropriate for people there to get support, ”Yellen said.
“President Biden is certainly willing to work with members of Congress to define what is fair and he would not want to see a household earning more than $ 300,000 receiving these payments,” she added.
As payment details continue to be refined, Democrat-controlled Congress is moving forward with passage of Biden’s comprehensive package.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week that she wanted the entire stimulus package, including out-of-pocket payments, to be passed by the end of February.
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