The US Senate is in the process of considering the Biden Administration’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill. This plan includes sending $1400 to individuals making $75k or less and up to $2800 for couples who file tax returns. This will be the biggest wave of Covid stimulus payments if the bill passes and becomes law.
On March 27, 2020, Congress signed into law President Trump’s $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill, also known as the CARES Act, to provide relief to Americans who were financially impacted by Covid-19. The CARES Act give individuals $600 and married couples $1200. Many Americans were disappointed.
’’From the first stimulus package plans, the $600 was simply not enough. It wouldn’t be enough for those whose rent is high. It doesn’t put a dent in what your monthly expenses are,” Ms. Brown, a history teacher, shared. 71% of Americans say that the checks are important towards their finances, with 53% saying that the $600 was simply not enough to even last for a whole month.
With the inauguration of President Biden and a Democratic-controlled Congress, the federal government is taking sweeping actions to provide Americans with additional support. The rapid increase of aid has been met with mixed opinions.
’’I think we live in a society that does not understand what individual households go through on a daily basis. I think that this stimulus plan has been needed for months now and it cannot be wrong for the economy of the country if it is helpful to them,’’ Ms. Scott, a math teacher, said.
Despite pushback from some economists and Republican members of Congress, President Biden claims that the Americans were promised $1400 and he is not cutting the checks.
’’I think the stimulus checks will give citizens a feeling of hope, that they are not alone in this economic crisis, and that their government isn’t ignoring their cries for help,’’ Ms. Scott said.
Although there have been disagreements with President Biden’s stimulus plan, the past year has been incredibly difficult for many people. The country can only hope that this plan brings people relief and comfort through the difficult times.