Biden Signals Willingness to Put Further Limits on Stimulus Checks

Already taking harsh criticism from both elected Democrats and voters for pulling a bait-and-switch on the actual amount that will be included in the next round of stimulus checks, President Joe Biden is reportedly open to placing additional limits on the “$2,000” checks.

With critics breathing fire over what they consider a broken promise to actually make the checks $2k and another broken promise about getting them out the door immediately, Biden is now saying he will consider putting stricter financial boundaries on the next round.

From the Washington Post:

Biden has publicly expressed willingness to negotiate the stimulus payments, which under Democrats’ current plans would begin to diminish at $75,000 for individuals and couples making $150,000 a year. Biden is also aiming to provide $1,400 per every adult and child under that threshold, on top of the $600 per adult and child approved by Congress in December.

One proposal discussed by senior Democrats includes lowering the threshold for the payments to begin phasing out above $50,000 for single taxpayers, $75,000 for people who file as the heads of households, and $100,000 for married couples, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss internal planning. These people stress that the conversations are fluid and legislation has not been finalized.

While Biden is reportedly open to that form of negotiation, he is not considering any plan that would reduce the already-controversial size of the check – now slated at $1,400.

It remains to be seen if Biden will have to make any concessions at all; Democrats voted 50-49 on Tuesday to move forward with the process known as budget reconciliation, which would give them license to potentially pass the full $1.9 trillion bill without a single Republican vote.

“We cannot, cannot afford to dither, delay or dilute. We need a big, bold package along the lines of what President Biden has proposed, the American Relief Plan. We hope that our Republican colleagues will join us in offering amendments,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “We welcome your ideas, your input, your revisions. We welcome cooperation. There is nothing about the process of a budget resolution or reconciliation, for that matter, that forecloses the possibility of bipartisanship.”

Schumer said in a Senate floor speech that President Biden authorized (and potentially demanded) this course of action over the more laborious process of negotiating a truly bipartisan bill.

Guess all that “unity” talk was just for show.

What a shock.