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- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opened the door to a second round of stimulus checks Monday.
- “I think the people most affected are those who make about $ 40,000 a year or less,” McConnell said.
- McConnell’s comments echoed those of Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, who said last month that additional direct payments could go to “people who lost their jobs and are most in need.”
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said during a public appearance in Kentucky on Monday that a second stimulus check “could very well be” part of the next financial aid package.
McConnell opened the door to include another round of direct payments, saying that people with lower incomes had endured a disproportionate share of the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic. A Federal Reserve study released in May found that 40% of households earning less than $ 40,000 a year had lost a job in March.
“I think the people most affected are those who make about $ 40,000 a year or less,” McConnell said. “Many of them work in the hotel industry.”
McConnell’s comments underscored the debate among Republicans about the scope of the next financial aid package to directly help people. And they echoed the comments of Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, who said last month that direct payments could go to “the people who lost their jobs and need it most.”
However, it was not immediately clear that McConnell’s comments reflected the new position he would take in the stimulus negotiations. His office did not respond to requests for comment.
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Under the Care Act, Congress authorized direct payments of $ 1,200 to Americans earning less than $ 75,000 a year, plus an additional $ 500 per child under the age of 17; the cash amount gradually decreased until eligibility to individual income greater than $ 99,000 was cut.
Individuals who file their taxes together could receive a check for the full amount with an income of up to $ 150,000, and would no longer qualify if they earned more than $ 198,000.
The Treasury Department and the IRS have distributed direct payments to approximately 160 million Americans since April, according to the Government Accountability Office.
If Republicans push to implement a lower income limit, experts say that step could leave many Americans struggling to receive another government payment.
President Donald Trump supports another wave of stimulus controls for individuals, and the White House has indicated its openness to push that position in the stimulus negotiations, although it has not come up with a plan.
Democrats have voiced support for another round of $ 1,200 stimulus checks for Americans, including unauthorized immigrants left out of the initial wave of payments. McConnell attacked that provision during a burning speech on the Senate floor in late May.
