Some US Democratic Senators want to give free money to every American man, woman and child earning less than $120,000 regardless of whether they’ve been affected by the pandemic. A married couple with 3 kids who earn $100k per year would get an additional $10,000 a month just because…! Shouldn’t this stimulus money go to people who actually need it? These people don’t even earn that much at their regular jobs, why would they ever go back to work? Already, some employers are saying their furloughed employees are preferring to stay at home because unemployment checks pay more than what they earn. That’s wrong, it means govt intervention has disincentivized work.
But there’s hope. Republicans are in control of the Senate which means this bill will never see the light of day. Sober minds will prevail and put an end to frivolous budgeting & spending of tax-payer money.
[SIZE=5]Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey want to give Americans $2,000 a month during coronavirus crisis[/SIZE]
Sens. Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey introduced a bill Friday to give most Americans $2,000 a month during the coronavirus pandemic, as historic job losses leave millions scrambling to cover bills.
The legislation would provide a direct payment to people who make up to $120,000 throughout the crisis and for three months after it. Married couples filing jointly would receive $4,000, and parents would get $2,000 per child for up to three children. The plan would be retroactive to March.
Harris, D-Calif., Sanders, I-Vt., and Markey, D-Mass., released the plan on the day the government jobs report for April showed the wreckage left by business closures designed to slow Covid-19 infections. The U.S. lost a record 20.5 million jobs for the month as the unemployment rate spiked to 14.7% — the highest level since the Great Depression.
The bill would try to iron out what critics called issues with the $1,200 direct payments to individuals included in the $2 trillion stimulus package passed in March. The senators said it would ensure “every U.S. resident” gets money, even if they have not filed a recent tax return or [SIZE=5]do not have a Social Security number. [/SIZE]It would also bar debt collectors from taking the relief money, and deliver payments to homeless and foster youth.
The proposal, which likely carries a hefty price tag, is unlikely to gain much traction in a Republican-held Senate growing increasingly wary of spending taxpayer money to blunt the health and economic damage created by the outbreak. Even so, it sets a marker for debate as Congress considers how next to offer relief to Americans devastated by the pandemic.
