Should you plan on a fourth stimulus payment this year? It may depend on how Congress defines “stimulus check.” Large batches of the third stimulus check for up to $1,400 per person are still going out from the IRS. But already, in Washington, some are talking about more direct payments, especially as President Joe Biden eyes a new infrastructure bill for 2021, one focused largely on revving the economy, fixing infrastructure and combating inequality.
In early March, a group of 10 progressive senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, asked Biden to include recurring stimulus payments (PDF) in the next spending bill: “We urge you to include recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions tied to economic conditions in your Build Back Better long-term economic plan. This crisis is far from over, and families deserve certainty that they can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.” Later in March, another group of 21 Democrats made a similar request to Biden.
