A petition demanding federal lawmakers to legislate immediate monthly payments for the duration of the pandemic with monetary assistance of $2,000 per adult and $1,000 for children last year has been gaining traction online at present. The petition has reached signatures of more than 2,927,770 as of Saturday. The petition’s goal is to gather support from Americans with 3 million signatures, Newsweek reported.
The Change.org petition petition was launched by Stephanie Bonin last year, a Denver restaurant owner. It has been one of the most high-profile efforts calling the US House of Representatives for another round of stimulus payments. If it reaches the goal of 3 million signatures, it will become the top-rated petition initiated by Change.org, the most signed call. In contrast, although the petition for cash payments continues to gather public support online and to near its goal, it does not entail the members of Congress to be under pressure for approval.
Petition for Monthly $2,000 Fourth Stimulus Check Nears 3 Million Signatures (Photo: Knowinsiders)
Congress Was Not Showing Signs For Approval
As the summer surge of COVID-19 Delta variant cases continues to subside as well as deaths and hospitalizations across the US, the petition translates to be nowhere of charts. Congress is not showing any sign to issue another direct payment despite the continuing struggles, unemployment, and bills to pay. As Congress has focused more on targeted efforts, there is no direct legislation on the horizon for a fourth stimulus payment.
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To date, direct stimulus payments have been incremented in three rounds. The last stimulus checks worth $1,400 for each eligible American distributed this year was in March, preceded by $600 payments in December 2020, and the first, sent in March 2020, included checks of up to $1,200. On June 9, IRS has disbursed Economic Impact Payments under the American Rescue Plan with a total of $169 million, Yahoo News reported.
Another Advocacy Group Demanded Fourth Cash Payment
Parallel to the petition, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a senior citizens advocacy group, called for a fourth cash payment of $1,400 to Social Security beneficiaries, including retirees, disabled people, and their dependents, and widows and widowers, in the face of growing inflation. They have requested Congress to provide a $1,400 emergency stimulus package to an estimated 69 million people. The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) has increased Social Security income by 6.2 percent.
Despite the fact that a number of congressional lawmakers supported the recurring stimulus checks this year, the Biden administration has indicated that a stimulus is no longer a priority. The spotlight is on Biden’s domestic plan, which includes a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure measure and a multi-trillion-dollar spending package.
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