WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — President Trump said on Tuesday Americans can expect another round of stimulus checks in 2020.
“We are working on another stimulus package, and that will take place … very soon,” Trump told Jessi Turnure, a reporter for the Nexstar Washington, D.C. Bureau.
Trump said his administration and Congress are currently negotiating the exact amount included in the next round of coronavirus relief.
During a public appearance in Kentucky on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said a second round of stimulus payments will likely target people who were most impacted by the pandemic.
“I think the people who have been hit the hardest are people who make about $40,000 a year or less,” McConnell said on Monday. “And many of them work in the hospitality industry.”
According to the Washington Post, many believe the GOP is starting to move in the direction of limiting stimulus to lower income taxpayers.
On Tuesday, a top aide to Vice President Mike Pence said the White House is looking at a second stimulus package totaling around $1 trillion.
“There’s obviously been a lot of stimulus put in the system over the last couple bills and so the price tag for us would be that,” Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, said during an interview on Bloomberg Radio.
Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin first reported the possibility of a $1 trillion package.
Mohsin noted provisions for the next round of relief could include changes to unemployment benefits, a back-to-work tax credit for workers returning to their jobs, a payroll tax cut, liability protections and tax decisions for companies to help subsidize workers’ restaurant and entertainment expenses.
This report follows White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows signaling support Monday for additional stimulus while noting there are proposals beyond the direct checks sent to taxpayers earlier this year.
“I think the president’s been very clear that he’s supportive of another stimulus check,” White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Monday. “Yet at the same time, we want to make sure that we’re addressing things in a real, systemic way, whether that is making sure that the take-home check for every American is greater with a payroll-tax deduction, whether it’s making sure that we provide incentives for American manufacturing to be brought back from abroad.”
In late March, President Trump signed a $3 trillion stimulus package into law that included one-time payments of up to $1,200 for eligible Americans. As the weeks have turned into months since the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed, many Americans are wondering if, and when, a second check or prepaid debit card will arrive as the pandemic continues.
One proposal currently on the table is the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion bill, that includes $275 billion for testing and healthcare worker hazard pay, and a trillion dollars for state and local governments. Second stimulus check is very likely coming in July, U.S. Senate says
The HEROES Act was passed by House Democrats in May and would offer another round of $1,200 checks to American adults and children. It also expands the number of people who are eligible to receive government aid by including college students and older teenagers. The payments would be capped at $6,000 per household.
Congress and the Senate are on recess until July 20. It’s unlikely the Senate will consider any additional relief packages before July 20.
