Reps. Ro Khanna, D-California, and Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, on Tuesday introduced legislation that aims to provide qualifying Americans with stimulus payments of $2,000 each month during the coronavirus crisis.
The Emergency Money for the People Act would give at least $2,000 in monthly payments for up to 12 months months for individuals over the age of 16 who make less than $130,000 annually, according to a news release from Khanna, whose 17th congressional district encompasses parts of the Bay Area. Payments would be doled out for up to 12 months.
Millions of Americans who were excluded from receiving an infusion of cash from the CARES Act, including college students and adults with disabilities who are claimed as a dependent, would be eligible under this new plan, according to the release.
In introducing the legislation, Khanna and Ryan called the $2.2 trillion stimulus package known as the CARES Act “an important first step.” But the congressmen noted that the one-time payment doesn’t go far enough to support struggling families.
“A one-time, twelve-hundred-dollar check isn’t going to cut it,” Khanna said in the release. “Americans need sustained cash infusions for the duration of this crisis in order to come out on the other side alive, healthy, and ready to get back to work.”
Those who qualify for the payments could get the funds through a number of ways, including via direct deposit, check, pre-paid debit card and even mobile money platforms like PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.
Under the proposal, those 16 years and older earning less than $130,000 would get at least $2,000 per month, while married couples making under $260,000 would get at least $4,000, according to the release.
Families will receive an additional $500 per child for up to three children.
Those who had no earnings, or were or currently are unemployed would also be eligible for the payments.
And anyone who would not have been eligible in 2018 or 2019 but would be this year could prove they qualify by submitting two consecutive months of paychecks.
Khanna and Ryan also introduced the first emergency cash infusion plan a month ago, which was incorporated into the CARES Act. Some Americans have already begun receiving stimulus checks of up to $1,200 per individual, while federal officials are working to send more out.
The Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday launched the online tool Get My Payment where Americans who qualify for stimulus can check their payment status as well as how they’ll receive the money.
