More Stimulus Checks: Here s What It Might Look Like (If It Happens)
As adamant as Democratic lawmakers are that this would help American families, their Republican counterparts are far from on board.
Here s What You Need to Remember: Calls for recurring payments have not been limited to Democratic members of Congress. Over 100 economists, including former Obama administration official Jason Furman, signed a letter last year advocating for regular direct payments.
Calls for a fourth round of direct federal stimulus payments continue. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-D) recently reiterated her support for such a measure, indicating that she would help to push through a plan to send additional payments to Americans.
As economy recovers, unemployment claims dip below key threshold
Now that the total is below 500,000 for the first time in 14 months, it s getting easier to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
BySteve Benen
As regular readers know, progress on weekly unemployment claims has been hit or miss in the early months of 2021, but the new report from the Labor Department represents great news. CNBC reported this morning:
The U.S. employment picture improved sharply last week, with first-time claims for unemployment insurance hitting a fresh pandemic-era low. Initial claims totaled 498,000 for the week ended March 1, against the Dow Jones estimate of 527,000.
McCarthy joins other Republicans touting relief package he opposed
McCarthy argued the Dems relief bill was the first step toward turning the United States into Venezuela. Now he s celebrating the parts of it he likes.
Kevin McCarthy speaks during a press conference on the steps of the Capitol, on Dec. 10, 2020.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images file
May 4, 2021, 12:44 PM UTC
BySteve Benen
More than a few congressional Republicans have celebrated parts of the Democrats COVID relief package, despite 100% opposition from GOP lawmakers, and over the weekend, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) joined them.
The Republican leader used his social media accounts to tout the Restaurant Revitalization Fund part of the Democrats American Relief Plan and the fact that the Small Business Administration began accepting applications for the program yesterday. It wasn t long before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi s (D-Calif.) office called attention to the apparent
Editorial: Unforgivable: Texas slams door on uninsured
Express-News Editorial Board
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The beginning of the 87th Texas legislative session in January offered the slim possibility for Medicaid expansion.
It was always the smallest of chances. Republican opposition to expansion has long been tethered to an ideological tenet rather than moral or economic calculations. But Texas’ dubious distinction of leading the nation in uninsured people, compounded by a pandemic, opened the possibility of action. Then came the Biden administration’s decision to rescind the extension of a federal funding agreement known as the 1115 waiver. Perhaps this would move some Republican legislators toward supporting a measure that would reduce those uninsured numbers.
Are We Going to Get Another Stimulus Check? Fourth Payment Faces Uphill Battle
On 5/3/21 at 12:00 PM EDT
As the IRS continues to send out the third round of stimulus checks, some are pushing for additional relief, but that s unlikely to garner significant Republican support.
The strain the coronavirus pandemic has put on Americans finances has prompted conversations about a universal basic income, and last May politicians started calling for recurring payments. At least 70 Democrats in the House and the Senate support the measure, and a Change.org petition has garnered more than 2 million signatures.
Supporters of recurring payments argue they would help guarantee that families can pay their bills and put food on the table during the pandemic and that the move would take the politics out of the policy.