$2,000 a month for US residents during pandemic? Bernie Sanders, others propose bill
A new bill proposed by Sens Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) would give U.S. residents making up to $100,000 a year monthly payments of $2,000, media outlets reported.
The rebate payment program would hit an income cap of $120,000 and be scaled down for people from there, The Hill reported. The $2,000 payment would be given per child, up to three children as well, and be retroactive to March.
Payment would continue until three months after the end of the pandemic, Sanders said in a statement published online.
The Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act wouldn’t exclude residents based on whether or not they have a social security number, meaning undocumented immigrants who pay taxes would be eligible even if they don’t have a SSN, CNN reported. It would also bar debt collectors from taking the payments.
“As a result of this horrific pandemic, tens of millions of Americans are living in economic desperation not knowing where their next meal or paycheck will come from,” Sanders said in a statement. “The one-time $1,200 check that many Americans recently received is not nearly enough to pay the rent, put food on the table and make ends meet. During this unprecedented crisis, Congress has a responsibility to make sure that every working-class household in America receives a $2,000 emergency payment a month for each family member.”
Harris, who ran for the Democratic nomination for president along with Sanders, said enough hasn’t been done to support Americans.
“It’s clear that wasn’t nearly enough to meet the needs of this historic crisis. Bills will continue to come in every single month during the pandemic and so should help from government,” Harris said in a statement, according to The Hill.
In a statement, Markey said he is “proud to join Senators Sanders and Harris in calling for recurring direct cash assistance so that Americans have the reassurance that this critical support will continue and that their government will support them.
“Providing recurring monthly payments is the most direct and efficient mechanism for delivering economic relief to those most vulnerable in this crisis, particularly low-income families, immigrant communities, and our gig and service workers,” he added.
The CARES Act, passed by the Senate in March and then signed into law, gave a one-time payment of $1,200 to individuals earning less than $75,000, according to NPR. Payment was scaled down up to $99,000 and $198,000 for couples.
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 12:40 PM with the headline "$2,000 a month for US residents during pandemic? Bernie Sanders, others propose bill."