If Washington approves a second check, will you get another $1,200? The amount is unclear, but this is all we know so far.
Is it possible that you will get more money with the second check than with the first one? Will eligibility change and now you will get less or nothing? That’s the big question.
“I actually support bigger numbers than the Democrats,” U.S. President Donald Trump said last week, referring to an amount of up to $1,200 per person that the Democrat-led House of Representatives proposed in May. But there are other proposals, too, and not all are so optimistic.
The current discussion about a second check, along with the claims made by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, lead us to believe that a new payment may be on the way. Now we just need to know when it might happen, who would qualify to receive the money, and how big this second check might be.
How much money could I get from a second stimulus check?
These are the figures that have been proposed:
- $0: Tax breaks for businesses, as a way to get people back to work.
- An additional check of up to $1,200. Proposed by the Heroes Act and passed by the House of Representatives in May. (This is not a law)
- More money than proposed in the Heroes Act, Trump said July 1.
- A monthly payment of $2,000 until the pandemic is over. Proposed by Senator Kamala Harris.
- 2,000 a month until the pandemic is over. Proposed by Representative Ro Khanna.
- Temporary travel tax credit of US$4,000. Proposal made by the American Travel Association, after Trump introduced the idea in May.
- A payroll tax cut, proposed by Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials, that would allow workers to keep more of their paychecks.
Remember that, in the end, the figure you get depends on who you are. For example, even if the bill passes, there will likely be eligibility restrictions based on criteria such as how much money you make annually, your age, and your U.S. citizenship or residency status, to name a few that were applied for the first stimulus check.
A summary of the situation
Read on for specific measurements and dollar amounts. This brief description will give you more context about the situation.
The White House
Trump recently said that he wants to provide more than one check for more than $1,200 for people who are facing economic difficulties. This is a positive development considering how vague his statements were in June, in which he indicated that the second economic stimulus would be “very good” and “very generous” without going into details or concrete figures.
The Senate
Senate leader Mitch McConnell has repeatedly said that July is the deadline for deciding whether to send a second check or not. At the end of the recess, the Senate will discuss the bill on a second economic package during the last two weeks of July.
The House
The House of Representatives has already acted, passing the Heroes Act (PDF) in May. If adopted in its entirety, this bill would authorize a second round of payments as well as other general measures. However, it faces strong opposition from the Senate and the president, as Trump referred to the bill as a DOA, alluding to its creation being doomed to failure.
How could a second stimulus check help the economy?
Some states have reinstated restrictions as coronavirus cases skyrocket in 45 states, financial supports such as $600 in unemployment support are coming to an end, and the economic recession caused by the coronavirus continues, so the idea of more money is pressing.
“A full [economic] recovery is unlikely until people are confident it is safe to return to a wide range of activities,” Federal Reserve System President Jerome Powell told the financial services committee June 30.
“The way forward will also depend on political actions taken at all levels of government to provide assistance and support for recovery for as long as it is needed,” Powell added.
Last week the Labor Department reported that unemployment claims exceeded 1 million (PDF) for the week ending June 27, adding 15 consecutive weeks in which more than 1 million U.S. workers filed new petitions for unemployment support.
The economic downturn is not only affecting the United States, as the World Bank says we are in the deepest global recession in decades.
The White House’s vision for the second stimulus check
The President has openly expressed his support for another direct payment to the people. “I want the money that reaches the people to be greater so that they can spend it. I want the money to come quickly,” the president told Fox Business on July 1.
Trump and his economic advisers seek to boost the U.S. economy by providing incentives for workers to find new jobs or return to their pre-existing jobs. The White House also is considering tax breaks for those taking vacations within the United States this year to encourage spending. Japan has taken a similar approach to encourage domestic travel.
White House adviser Peter Navarro tweeted that Trump is considering at least $2 billion for the next stimulus package, “with a large portion [of those funds] going to bring our production base back home,” Navarro said. It’s unclear how much of that amount would go toward stimulus checks for individuals and families.
The White House also is considering reducing unemployment payments to $250 or $300 per week during the second half of the year. Republicans believe this will induce people who lost their jobs to find new ones. Currently, payments are $600 a week, as part of the CARES Act passed in March. This increase in benefits is due July 31.
The president continues to push for payroll tax cuts, an idea he raised in March. “We will implement a payroll tax cut,” he said earlier this month, “which will be incredible in terms of what we are doing because it will allow us to be bigger and better than ever.
What do Republican leaders have to offer?
Senate Republicans, led by majority leader Mitch McConnell, have outlined the guidelines they want to follow for a second round, including a limit on the size of the bill and the stipulation that it will be the last stimulus package related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I can’t say what the likely amount is at this point, but it won’t be $3 billion,” McConnell said June 27. By comparison, the CARES Act is a $2 billion package, the same amount the president is targeting. The Heroes Act proposes to spend US$3 billion.
The Senate package could include provisions to reduce the liability of doctors and businesses for coronavirus-related lawsuits, The Wall Street Journal reported. It also could include assistance for small businesses and medical care.
What does the Heroes Act propose?
The House of Representatives, which has a Democratic majority, passed the Heroes Act on May 15. This bill, which has not passed the Senate and therefore is not yet law, seeks to provide a wide range of benefits to households, renters and people living in the United States who are not citizens, according to a fact sheet from the House Appropriations Committee (PDF). Because it has already been passed by the House of Representatives, the details of this stimulus proposal are the most widely known.
But it does not guarantee that it will pass the Senate. In fact, McConnell has already rejected the bill, as has the White House, saying that the House package is “more concerned with fulfilling longstanding ideological and partisan ‘wish lists.
These are his proposals.
Individuals
All eligible individuals would receive up to $1,200 if the adjusted gross income (AGI) on their 2019 or 2018 federal tax return (if you have not yet filed this year) was less than $75,000; that amount would decrease gradually as your AGI increases.
Children and dependents
Every dependent would qualify for a $1,200 payment, unlike the first stimulus bill, which had a limit of up to three children and $500 for each. It would apply to college students, children over 17, disabled relatives, and one of the taxpayer’s parents.
Families
Households would qualify for a maximum total payment of US$6,000, limited to five family members (up to US$1,200 each). The amount you would receive would decrease the higher your AGI.
Non-U.S. Citizens
Non-citizens who file tax returns, pay taxes and comply with federal tax law by using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead of a Social Security number would qualify for a payment.
Unemployment Benefits
If passed, the law would extend the current increase in unemployment benefits of $600 per week (in addition to the typical state unemployment payment) until January 2021.
Would the second check be sent the same way?
The first fiscal stimulus came through direct deposit, paper checks and prepaid cards. It is possible that the way people would receive a second check would be different.
The House Financial Services Committee held a virtual hearing this month to discuss “digital dollars,” a payment method that could make it easier for people who don’t have a bank account to receive the fiscal stimulus, Fast Company said.
Second Stimulus Check: What’s Next?
While the White House and congressional leaders may spend the next few weeks working on the outline of their proposals, it is not until the end of July that Washington is expected to begin working out the details of a second stimulus package, including whether there will be a second round of payments for individuals and families, and what the amounts might be that they can expect to receive.
While the outlook for a second package looks promising (“The odds of a Phase Four deal are extremely high,” White House aide Kevin Hassett told The Wall Street Journal this month), until Congress passes the bill and the president signs it into law, we will have to wait.