A sort of Change.org petition The application to Congress on Sunday for the $2,000 per month stimulus check was nearly 90% complete, and nearly 2.7 million people signed up to support the $3 million goal. As of 6:17 pm Eastern Time, the petition has 2,698,800 signatures.
Although such petitions rarely affect Congress, as Congress debates about $1 trillion in infrastructure plans, the petition may help restart the conversation about more direct payments to Americans.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, three rounds of direct payments have been made. The final payment is part of the US rescue plan, which was enacted in March to provide US$1,400 for eligible Americans (US$2,800 for married couples) and US$1,400 for each eligible child.
The petition was created in March 2020 by Stephanie Bronin, owner of the Duo restaurant in Denver. She called for payment of US$2,000 for adults and US$1,000 for each child.
I’m Stephanie and I’m one of more than 400,000 Americans. During this period, each adult needs $2,000 per month and each child needs $1,000. #Coronavirus disease crisis.We need immediately #MoneyForThePeople @senatemajldr @SenSchumer@SpeakerPelosi and @GOPLaderhttps://t.co/MVsUnHzGNu
— Stephanie Bonin (@StephanieBonin9) March 24, 2020
In recent days, there has been a surge in petitions.
“Journalists have been speculating whether this petition will reach 3 million signatures, but this is not my idea,” Bronin said in a July 15 post. For nearly 90% of families in our country. I know this does not include everyone, but this is a partial response to this petition request… We can provide continuous support for our lives. ”
Direct payment campaigns are not new. Before the pandemic, the Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang initiated a plan to provide each American adult with $1,000 a month.
Billionaire Mark Cuban told CNBC in December 2020 that he prefers the federal government to send checks directly to Americans instead of funding aid programs such as the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The support of some Democrats in Congress is also increasing.
Congress showdown over $2,000 cheque: House of Representatives. @TimRyan, Representative @KeepinDay, Mayor of Stockton @MichaelDTubbs, Restaurant owner Stephanie Bonin and Natalie Foster @EconomicSecProj join in #AppealLive. https://t.co/YlwBZJjD2K
— Appeal (@theappeal) February 4, 2021
But the infusion of trillions of dollars in cash has triggered growing concerns about inflation.
Fed’s balance sheet It has swelled to US$8.2 trillion, and year-on-year inflation has recently reached its highest level since 2008.
At the same time, another round of direct payment opportunities may stall. Although infrastructure funding is popular among Republican voters, many senior Republican lawmakers are still hesitant to provide support for infrastructure funding.
