US: US President-elect Joe Biden has asked for a $2,000 “stimulus cheques” to his fellow Americans, claiming that the current $600 coronavirus aid payment is not sufficient to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table.
Joe Biden has called the current $600 round of cash a “down payment.” Early last week, he said $2,000 cheques would go out “immediately” if his party took control of both houses of Congress.
Among the Democrats now having a majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, and Biden began to be sworn in as the 46th President of the US on January 20, the former vice president is expected to push a new stimulus package later this month.
Biden said,”$600 is not enough when you have to decide between paying rent or putting food on the table. We need $2,000 stimulus cheques.”
Outgoing US President Donald Trump has also pitched for a $2,000 cheque. In December, the House of Representatives also passed a Bill. Still, the move was blocked by the Republicans, who then had a majority in the Upper Chambers.
Two Indian-American lawmakers, Congressman Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal, also demanded $2,000 stimulus cheques for Americans.
Biden is expected to present more details on his proposal in the coming week. But he has been talking about moving rapidly to get $2,000 into the hands of Americans.
Biden made the call for new support ― including boosting stimulus cheques to $2,000 ― after an unexpectedly low December jobs report that reflected a plunge in restaurant employment.
President Trump signed a $900-billion relief bill the previous month, which added supplemental unemployment benefits increased to mid-March ― a timeframe that could work as a deadline for lawmakers to move on to the next package.
Biden is supposed to present more details on his proposal in the coming week. But he has been talking about moving rapidly to get USD 2,000 into the hands of Americans.
