Second stimulus check vote ‘could take until July’ in the Senate

Last week Democrats celebrated that the $3 trillion HEROES Act bill was passed in the House of Representatives, which among other measures it will provide a second stimulus payment to millions of struggling Americans suffering during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Republicans and the president Donald Trump have stated that the bill is DOA and they won’t even discuss it until after Memorial Day weekend. Also Trump said on Thursday during a visit to a factory in Michigan that he is thinking about providing a second payment but not any time soon.

A vote on the economic relief measures in the Republican-majority Senate is unlikely to happen until early July, according to the senior director of federal tax policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Chuck Marr.

Marr said that the deadline for a vote on HEROES Act would be just before the senate’s two-week break ahead of the 4 July long weekend. Also by that time many of the states in the country are planning to fully open up amid the outbreak, currently most of them are in the second-phase plan.

Americans would receive the same payment amount they got in the first round, which began going out in April; up to $1200 for individuals earning under $75,000 a year and $2400 for couples with an annual income of less than $150,000.

But families are set to fare much better, with payment per dependent being increased from $500 to $1200, meaning a family could receive up to $6,000.