Biden and Democrats agree to tighten income limits for stimulus checks

President Joe Biden and Democrats reached an agreement Wednesday on tightening the income limits above which people would be eligible for stimulus checks, a Democrat official said. The move comes as party leaders prepare to advance their $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill in the Senate.

According to an NBC Philadelphia report, the COVID-19 relief measure Senate Democrats planned to introduce will also keep the $400 weekly emergency jobless benefits included in a House-approved version of the legislation, the official said. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal Democrat conversations.

The changes were made considering that Republicans might unanimously oppose the legislation, viewing the bill as an overpriced help from Democrats to many who do not really need it.

The Democrats’ legislative push on what is Biden’s initial top legislative priority established that individuals earning up to $75,000 , and couples up to $150,000 , would receive $1,400 checks per person.

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The version passed by the House last Saturday would gradually reduce those amounts and go to zero for individuals earning $100,000 and couples earning $200,000.

But under Wednesday’s agreement, those checks would end for individuals making $80,000 and couples earning $160,000, the official said.

Moderates want reduction

However, Biden and Democrats leaders will retain the $400 weekly emergency jobless benefits, which are paid on top of regular state payments. Moderates have wanted to reduce those payments to $300 per week, with some saying the higher amount could discourage people from returning to their jobs.

On Tuesday, Biden posted on Twitter that he would not concede on his demand that lawmakers add a new $1,400 payment to the $600 that millions of people received from a relief measure in December. That new fee accounts for nearly a quarter of the total cost of the law.

“The fact is that $600 is not enough. The Senate needs to pass the American Rescue Plan and finish the job of delivering $2,000 in direct relief,” Biden wrote.