Name: It's over: $2,000 second stimulus check won't replace $600 payment. What next?
Brand: cnet.com
SKU: cnet-com-150
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

It's over: $2,000 second stimulus check won't replace $600 payment. What next?

preview

Following President Trump's signing the stimulus bill that included $600 stimulus checks on Sunday night, the House on Monday voted to bump the amount to $2,000.Late Monday afternoon, the House of Representatives voted to bump the just-approved $600 stimulus payments to $2,000 per person. The House-approved now moves to the Senate. The Monday vote in the House followed President Donald Trump's on Sunday, which authorized the checks for up to $600 each for .The CASH Act -- short for -- would change the amount each eligible adult and child received in the just-signed law from $600 to as much as $2,000 each.In addition to authorizing a , Trump signed on Sunday renews programs both Democrats and Republicans&nbsp;, including&nbsp;, money to help small businesses meet employee payroll, a month-long extension to the end of January of a federal eviction ban and assistance to help distribute the&nbsp;.Immediately after signing the bill Sunday, Trump began . "As President, I have told Congress that I want far less wasteful spending and more money going to the American people in the form of $2,000 checks per adult and $600 per child."Trump's reversal on approving the relief bill came at the end of a weekend where US leaders from to and Trump's delay in signing the package into law. While Congress passed the legislation last Monday, Trump waited until Sunday to sign it."The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do an enormous amount of good for struggling Kentuckians and Americans across the country who need help now," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell minutes after Trump signed the bill.The possibility for a $2,000 check, however, hangs by a thread. Now that the House has approved the increase, the proposal moves to the Senate, which will be in session on Tuesday. It's not clear if the Republican-led Senate will take up the proposal for a larger payment.Biden has referred to the stimulus portion of the joint package as a "first step and down payment," forecasting a larger bill after he's&nbsp;&nbsp;-- including&nbsp;.Now that the House of Representatives has passed &nbsp;(PDF) to authorize the $2,000 per , it goes over the Senate to consider. It isn't clear if the legislation&nbsp;. It all depends on whether Trump will continue to hold sway with Senate Republicans in his final weeks before , or whether a $2,000 check -- which could greatly increase the size of the COVID-19 relief allocation -- will ."If the president is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction,"&nbsp;. "On Monday, I will bring the House back to session where we will hold a recorded vote on our stand-alone bill to increase economic impact payments to $2,000 ... Hopefully by then the president will have already signed the&nbsp;&nbsp;to keep government open and to deliver coronavirus relief."Democrats advocated through the summer and fall for a larger as part of a broader aid package. Trump distanced himself from negotiations, and his administration's own negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, offered the $600 ceiling for the totals.&nbsp;Republican and Democratic lawmakers passed the two-in-one omnibus package by overwhelming margins on Dec. 21, after months of frustrating on-and-off negotiations.While we closely follow the situation, read on for more information about the $2,000 stimulus check amount (the figure was advanced by a number of Democrats in mid-2020), the scenarios that could play out next and what we know about a . This story is updated often with new information.Second stimulus checks: Everything you need to knowSince spring, several Democrats have , including Vice President-elect Sen. Kamala Harris, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey and one-time presidential hopeful (and now New York mayoral hopeful) . Some supporters of this figure have even suggested sending checks on a monthly rather than a one-time basis.Many US leaders seem to see the as a precursor to a larger relief package in 2021, one that may&nbsp;&nbsp;and other provisions that Republicans and Democrats agreed to leave out this round to pass a critical deal.&nbsp;"This bill is just the first step, a down payment, in addressing the crisis -- crises, more than one -- that we're in," Biden , emphasizing that .Aid may begin to go out within the next week, with certain funding programs possibly receiving financial help before the end of 2020. On Dec. 21, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin gave the following week as the target for sending payments via&nbsp;&nbsp;to people who qualify for a&nbsp;&nbsp;to receive their payment, intended to bring direct cash flow to tens of millions of Americans.Because of the delay signing the bill, , since agencies need time to set up their processes and communicate with recipients about what they need to do or expect.You can&nbsp;. Here's which&nbsp;. Here's what we know about&nbsp;, and here are more details about&nbsp;.A has had wide bipartisan support ever since the CARES Act passed. Over the last several months, everyone from Trump and&nbsp;&nbsp;to members of Congress,&nbsp;&nbsp;and everyday people have advocated for another direct payment.Trump has previously&nbsp;&nbsp;"more money than they're talking about" in stimulus checks, as large as $1,200 or $2,000 per person. Aides reportedly convinced him at the time that making such demands would jeopardize a stimulus bill, , and the White House offer was officially extended at $600 tops.Although many favor a $1,200 direct payment in theory, a second smaller stimulus check has helped keep costs below the $1 trillion cutoff that Republican lawmakers have in the past said they'd support.&nbsp;Stimulus checks aren't cheap. The IRS said this summer that it had spent&nbsp;, and on Dec. 15, Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican who has been involved in crafting the bipartisan stimulus proposal,&nbsp;&nbsp;if the checks were once again included for $1,200 per person. Republicans reportedly bridled at the cost.For more information about stimulus checks, here's , &nbsp;and what to know about the stimulus bill proposals that could help inform a final package.

Following President Trump's signing the stimulus bill that included $600 stimulus checks on Sunday night, the House on Monday voted to bump the amount to $2,000.Late Monday afternoon, the House of Representatives voted to bump the just-approved $600 stimulus payments to $2,000 per person. The House-approved now moves to the Senate. The Monday vote in the House followed President Donald Trump's on Sunday, which authorized the checks for up to $600 each for .The CASH Act -- short for -- would change the amount each eligible adult and child received in the just-signed law from $600 to as much...

public

Jessica Dolcourt

CNET, formerly Computer Network, is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. Founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition in 2008.

It's over: $2,000 second stimulus check won't replace $600 payment. What next?

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS