deirdre
Senior Member.
Starting this thread to track progress on the next round of checks. note: the $2,000 promised in speeches really means $1.400 since $600 already went out under Trump.
Article: "One of the first things that I want to do when our new senators are seated is deliver the $2,000 checks to the American families," Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) — who will become majority leader — told reporters Wednesday.
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Biden wavered on the issue, but ended up explicitly promising Georgia voters that should Warnock and Ossoff win, people would get the checks.
"Their election will put an end to the block in Washington — that $2,000 stimulus check — that money would go out the door immediately, to help people who are in real trouble," Biden said in Georgia in the closing days of the Senate campaigns. "Think about what it will mean to your lives — putting food on the table, paying rent."
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"Joe Biden and the entire Democratic Party were incredibly clear of the stakes here, starting with the $2,000 checks and massive economic relief policies that put money and resources in the hands of the people," said Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, a liberal advocacy group. "They're now going to have to deliver that, starting with the checks on day one."
Article: Reconciliation allows the Senate to pass bills fairly quickly and with a simple majority, as they are not subject to filibuster. The maneuver, first used by Congress in 1980, is mainly aimed at budget and spending legislation that need quick consideration.
"When the Republicans controlled the Senate during the George W. Bush and Trump presidencies, they used reconciliation to pass trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations. They also used reconciliation to try and repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017," Sanders wrote. "Today, Democrats must use this same process to lift Americans out of poverty, increase wages and create good-paying jobs."
Article: "Together, in under two weeks when we inaugurate the new Biden-Harris Administration, a unified Democratic Party will advance extraordinary progress For The People," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement. "We will pursue a science and values-based plan to crush the virus and deliver relief to struggling families."
Article: But now Democrats will control which bills get a vote in the Senate. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the new Senate Majority Leader, pushed hard for the CASH Act and will to do so again for a new stimulus check bill. And he wants to move fast. "One of the first things that I want to do," Schumer said, "is deliver the $2,000 checks to the American families." With a stand-alone bill, that could happen relatively quickly – perhaps within a week or so. The IRS could then start sending out new payments in a matter of days (as they did with the second round of stimulus checks).
