Fourth Stimulus Check?

Many Americans have been wondering whether there will be a fourth round of stimulus checks, as the federal government continues to distribute the $1,400 provided in President Joe Biden‘s American Rescue Plan. So far, 64 congressional lawmakers have pushed for recurring direct payments until the pandemic ends.

In January, two months before Biden signed the latest stimulus package into law, 53 House Democrats pressed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for recurring stimulus checks in a letter, where they insisted that “one more check is not enough.”

“It was very encouraging to see the inclusion of direct cash assistance in your current economic rescue plan. However it is clear that during this unprecedented time in our nation’s history that we must take additional unprecedented action,” the group said.

The letter, led by Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, urged the Democratic leaders to continue the checks until the economy recovers with “equal payments to adults and dependents, prioritize those who need it most and will spend it quickest and include older dependents such as disabled and elderly dependents and those over the age of 16 still claimed as dependents.”

The letter’s signatories included Representatives Jamaal Bowman of New York; Cori Bush of Missouri; David Cicilline of Rhode Island; Jimmy Gomez of California; Pramila Jayapal of Washington; Ro Khanna of California; Ted Lieu of California; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; Mark Pocan of Wisconsin; Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts; Jamie Raskin of Maryland; Rashida Tlaib of Michigan; and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey.

“Recurring direct payments until the economy recovers will ensure that people can meet their basic needs, provide racially equitable solutions, and shorten the length of the recession,” the group wrote. “Another one-time round of checks would provide a temporary timeline, but when that money runs out, families will once again struggle to pay for basic necessities.”

Eleven Senate Democrats joined the effort to push for recurring checks earlier this month. The senators asked Biden to deliver the measure in a follow-up relief package in a separate letter to the president after the House initially passed the American Rescue Plan, which only provided $1,400 direct payments.

The letter’s signatories included Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, chair of the Senate Finance Committee; Bernie Sanders of Vermont, chair of the Senate Budget Committee; Sherrod Brown of Ohio, chair of the Senate Banking Committee; Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; Ed Markey of Massachusetts; Cory Booker of New Jersey; Michael Bennet of Colorado; Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin; Kirsten Gillibrand of New York; Alex Padilla of California; and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

So far, Biden has not voiced support for recurring checks and any prospective direct payments would face a legislative challenge.

Democrats used a budget process called reconciliation to pass the latest stimulus bill without Republican support. But the process can only be used once every fiscal year. With COVID-19 cases on the decline and vaccines being rolled out, the Biden administration may choose to use reconciliation when it becomes available after October 1 for other Democratic priorities, such as tackling climate change.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.

Contributed by Newsweek.