WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Monday that he is open to a second round of stimulus payments as the U.S. economy continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
When asked in an interview with Scripps local television news if he will give Americans another round of checks, Trump replied, “Yes, we are. We are.”
“We will make another stimulus package. It will be very good. It will be very generous,” Trump said.
When asked how much money it would be, he said, “You will find out. You will find out.”
A White House official told NBC News that a new round of direct payments is “part of something the economic team is studying,” but added: “No decisions have been made yet.”
In March, Congress approved up to $ 1,200 per person in direct payments to individuals who make fewer than six figures to help cushion the pandemic’s hit. The IRS said in early June that 159 million stimulus payments had been processed.
Last month, the House, led by Democrats, passed the $ 3 trillion HEROES Act that included another round of direct payments, but the Republican-controlled Senate balked, and leaders said they want to wait to see what extra help. needed. Trump has threatened to veto that bill on progressive measures that his White House has denounced as an “ideological wish list.”
Some Trump economic advisers have lobbied the president to reject any additional spending and focus on tax cuts and the deregulatory measures they argue will help recovery after a better-than-expected May jobs report and an increase in jobs. retail sales.
“We shouldn’t be spending more,” said Steve Moore, a conservative economist who has advised the president.
When asked what the next coronavirus stimulus package would include, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in an email: “Any phase four economic package should prioritize growth-friendly economic measures that incentivize employers already our great American workforce to return to the job market. “
Earlier this month, Trump said he is in favor of a payroll tax cut and that he “will do things for restaurants and various parts of the entertainment industry, which will be an incentive, be they deductions or whatever.” .
