So the original plan was to only give the second stimulus to people who make under 40K. Assuming my plan to spend the stimulus money on RAPID tests for everyone to self-administer isn't viable and they instead have no better option than to give another check, then this sounds good. In fact, double the amount for the poor people since less people are getting checks.
But instead, they're using the original cutoffs. Who initiated this change back?
The March bill provided a one-time $1,200 check to Americans who made up to $75,000 per year. The amount of the check was scaled down until it hit an income level of $99,000 per year, when it was phased out altogether.
The decision to stick to the March formula is a shift from over the recess, when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to signal that while Republicans would support another round of checks, the next round would include a lower income cap of around $40,000.
"I think the people that have been hit the hardest are people who make about $40,000 or less. Many of them work in the hospitality industry. ... That could well be a part of it," McConnell told reporters in Kentucky during the two-week recess.
