The Real Tea Behind Biden’s $1,400 Third Stimulus Check

We are all asking “Where’s the stimmy Joe?!” After a long dragged out battle to get the remaining portion of the stimulus relief it appears as though lawmakers are in the final stages of passing the relief package through. To the benefit of Democrats who control Congress, they are using a streamlined process that can help speed along the relief package without Republican support. Based on last springs’ first stimulus check, many lawmakers state that although the money was largely spent on essential needs, many people used it for investing and other unspecified things.

This results in a debate on whether the third stimulus checks should be more restricted to go only to lower-income Americans. For reference, they are proposing to phase out payments for individuals with incomes over $50,000 down from the original $75,000 cut off per the previous stimulus checks. Although it sounds like a sign of hope, it does effect people who may have been at the original threshold but will most likely not get anything in this third round.

This is rather disheartening because the public feels that everybody needs assistance no matter the incomes. We are living in a society where rent is expensive along with food and other essential needs that everybody has been affected with regardless of their income. Reducing the income cutoff for survival checks is rather unfair when assistance has been needed for several months on top of not having an initiative in place to help reduce rent burden, etc.

Recent data shows that the U.S. continues to move at a much slower pace than other foreign countries for economic relief. Many European countries, meanwhile, had existing safety nets set up prior to the pandemic that helped cushion the blow for many affected residents. France’s economic relief initiatives, for example, include expanded health insurance for the sick or their caregivers; extended unemployment benefits; and postponed rent and utility payments for affected small businesses.

So when are we likely to get the third stimulus check? A statement was released early last week saying that the final stages should be reviewed and approved before the end of February. Once approved, people could see stimulus checks in the early to middle part of March. It is unclear on what the final decision will be until the end of February but we can all hope that everybody can get the assistance they need with this next round of stimulus checks.