- Rubio introduced a bill that would give mixed-status families with unauthorized immigrants a $ 1,200 stimulus check.
- People who filed a tax return with a non-citizen spouse were prohibited from obtaining cash from the government under the CARES Act passed in March.
- But the bill doesn’t extend eligibility for people with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers to receive a stimulus check, which excludes many unauthorized immigrants.
- According to the Migration Policy Institute, up to 15.4 million people in mixed-status families were excluded from receiving stimulus controls.
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Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill Thursday that would provide stimulus controls to mixed-status families with unauthorized immigrants, who were left out of the initial wave of direct payments several months ago.
The legislation, which was co-sponsored by Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, would allow people who filed tax returns with non-citizen spouses to receive the $ 1,200 check. They were prohibited from obtaining the cash under the CARES Act passed in March.
“No American should be denied a federal stimulus check because they are married to a foreign citizen who is not a US citizen,” Rubio said in a press release. “In the midst of a global pandemic, we must ensure that Americans receive the funds allocated by the federal government to keep families afloat during this national crisis.”
Rubio and Tillis’ move reflects the growing pace of the debate on a financial aid package to be presented next month. President Donald Trump approves another round of stimulus controls, but Republicans are deeply divided on whether it is necessary to boost the economy.
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Almost three months ago, Congress and Trump authorized direct payments of up to $ 1,200 for every U.S. citizen who makes less than $ 75,000 a year, or $ 150,000 for couples, as long as they had a Social Security number. People could get an additional $ 500 for a dependent child under the age of 17.
The requirement for a Social Security number prevented many unauthorized immigrants from receiving money from the government, a similar step taken when the Bush administration approved a round of stimulus controls in early 2008.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, up to 15.4 million people in mixed-status families were excluded from receiving stimulus controls. That estimate includes 1.2 million US citizens married to unauthorized immigrants.
However, Rubio’s bill would not allow people with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers to obtain the money, leaving out many unauthorized immigrants who are not in mixed-status families.
Democrats support additional stimulus controls for Americans, and the move was included in the $ 3 trillion spending package the House passed last month. In the plan, beneficiaries would only need an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, which opens the door for unauthorized immigrants who pay taxes to obtain federal cash.
That element of the Democratic legislation drew strong criticism from the Republican majority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, last month.
“Another round of checks for illegal immigrants. Can you believe it?” The Kentucky Republican said in a speech on the floor of the Senate. “We forgot that the Treasury Department was sending money to people here illegally. My God, what an oversight. Thank God the Democrats are on the case.”
The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan federal watchdog, said Thursday that the Treasury Department and the IRS sent 160 million payments totaling $ 269 billion as of May 31.
