- President Donald Trump has voiced support for another wave of direct payments to Americans, and told attendees that he believes it could help him be reelected later this year, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
- The White House remains divided on whether another round of stimulus controls should be included in a financial aid package.
- Research has indicated that the money helped Americans make ends meet by buying food and paying rent.
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President Donald Trump has expressed support for sending Americans another round of stimulus checks, and told attendees that he believes it will strengthen their chances of being reelected and stimulate the economy, the Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing three familiar sources. with the internal deliberations of the administration.
The Trump administration has not taken a clear stance on the measure, and divisions have emerged within the White House about the possibility of sending additional federal money directly to Americans.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who earlier this month opened the door to more direct payments, has expressed his support for the initiative, The Post reported.
But other administration officials, such as Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, have expressed skepticism about again cutting government checks, particularly to people who have already received one.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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In March, Congress and the Trump administration authorized the sending of $ 1,200 stimulus checks to people earning less than $ 75,000 a year, plus an additional $ 500 for dependent children, under the Care Act. More than 159 million Americans had received direct payments in early June, according to the IRS.
But the government payment drew criticism, as some people reported obstacles to accessing funds. There was also great controversy when the Treasury Department printed Trump’s name on paper checks and when the IRS sent a letter to taxpayers on White House letterhead praising the administration’s economic response to the coronavirus pandemic. .
Economists have said that federal money helped shore up people’s finances as unemployment rose to record levels. A study by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University published in early May found that the payments had provided relief to people with fewer dollars in their bank accounts.
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Investigators said much of the spending went to groceries, rent, and other bill payments. Stimulus research was also a critical component in helping to prevent people from falling into poverty as the economy crashed in April and May, research from the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame found.
House Democrats included another wave of direct payments of $ 1,200 in the spending package the chamber approved last month, expanding eligibility for unauthorized immigrants and increasing the size of the payment for dependents. But Senate Republicans opposed the bill and have not proposed an alternative.
Republicans in Congress have been concerned with increasing federal spending to face the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers have approved more than $ 3 billion in emergency spending so far.
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Last month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected the provision to send federal money to unauthorized immigrants who were left out of the initial wave of federal payments. It is unclear whether the Republican Party will support more payments, as it has long opposed Trump’s call for another payroll tax cut.
In an interview with the Scripps Network that aired Monday, Trump noted that he was on board with the idea of more stimulus controls, but did not elaborate. He also expressed support for another financial aid package.
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