$1,400 Is Nothing: Could You Be in Line for a Fourth Stimulus Check?

Ethen Kim Lieser

Stimulus Check, Americas

Yes, even after all of that spending there is talk among the Democrats of yet another round of stimulus spending.

With roughly ninety million $1,400 checks already in taxpayers’ bank accounts, there is now increasing chatter about a fourth round of direct stimulus payments.

Even before the American Rescue Plan was signed by President Joe Biden, several Democratic members of Congress expressed concern that the third stimulus check is not nearly enough to lift the economy out of the grips of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“Another one-time round of checks would provide a temporary lifeline, but when that money runs out, families will once again struggle to pay for basic necessities,” fifty Democratic members of the House of Representatives stated in a letter.

“One more check is not enough during this public health and economic crisis,” they added.

In a January press release, Rep. Ilhan Omar said: “A one-time payment of $2,000 is simply not enough. The American people are counting on us to deliver transformative change, and we need to meet the moment by delivering monthly payments of $2,000.”

More recently, a group of ten Democratic senators petitioned President Joe Biden to include more money for direct payments in the next spending bill—and that the checks should be sent out on a recurring basis.

“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. Families should not be at the mercy of constantly-shifting legislative timelines and ad hoc solutions,” the senators wrote.

“Recurring direct payments have wide support from both the general public and economic experts. Polling shows 65 percent of Americans support recurring cash payments ‘for the duration of the pandemic.’ This includes support from 54 percent of Republicans and 60 percent of independents. Economists support the idea, too. More than 150 economists recently wrote an open letter supporting automatic stabilizers as part of a strong recovery and warning against repeating the mistakes of the Great Recession, when an insufficient response led to unnecessary suffering, particularly among low-income workers,” they added.

If you are eligible and still haven’t received your third stimulus check, keep in mind that more payments are indeed on the way. More than likely, you will see the cash land in your bank account relatively soon, especially if you already have received the previous stimulus checks.

Like the previous payments, direct deposit recipients would be the first to get the money, followed by those receiving physical checks, which can take weeks to arrive by mail, and EIP cards, a prepaid debit card that one must activate online before using.

Individuals who earn as much as $75,000 in adjusted gross income (AGI), or couples making $150,000—in addition to their children or adult dependents—qualify for the full $1,400 per individual.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.

Image: Reuters.