{"id":11939,"date":"2021-01-22T17:14:46","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T17:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=153655"},"modified":"2021-01-22T17:14:46","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T17:14:46","slug":"one-more-check-is-not-enough-ilhan-omar-calls-on-biden-to-back-recurring-direct-payments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/22\/one-more-check-is-not-enough-ilhan-omar-calls-on-biden-to-back-recurring-direct-payments\/","title":{"rendered":"‘One More Check Is Not Enough’: Ilhan Omar Calls on Biden to Back Recurring Direct Payments"},"content":{"rendered":"
Warning that one additional check is nowhere near sufficient to ease the widespread suffering<\/a> inflicted by the ongoing pandemic and economic collapse, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is circulating a letter urging fellow lawmakers to join her in pressuring President Joe Biden to include recurring direct payments in any future coronavirus relief package.<\/p>\n “The stunning financial crisis for those at the bottom of the income ladder demands massive relief to those who need it most,” reads Omar’s letter<\/a> (pdf), which was obtained by HuffPost<\/em>. “Recurring direct payments until the economy recovers will help ensure that people can meet their basic needs, provide racially equitable solutions, and shorten the length of the recession.”<\/p>\n “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.” Omar, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) whip, is urging the newly sworn-in president to support passage of direct relief checks that continue flowing to struggling adults and dependents “until the economy recovers.” The Minnesota Democrat is also stressing the need to ensure that those who were deemed ineligible for previous stimulus checks\u2014such as many immigrants and their families\u2014are included in the recurring payments.<\/p>\n “As the country begins to look towards building to a better future,” the letter states, “we need to provide those struggling and left behind with consistent reliable cash payments during this Covid-19 crisis.”<\/p>\n Last week, days before his inauguration, Biden unveiled<\/a> a nearly $2 trillion relief proposal that calls for one-time direct payments of $1,400 and other key measures, including a boost to emergency unemployment benefits and an increase in nutrition assistance.<\/p>\n While progressives applauded Biden’s plan as a solid first step, some Democratic lawmakers\u2014including<\/a> Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.)\u2014said the $1,400 checks fall short of the $2,000 payments the president promised on the campaign trail in Georgia earlier this month.<\/p>\n “$2,000 means $2,000,” Ocasio-Cortez said last week. “$2,000 does not mean $1,400.”<\/p>\n Along with other progressive lawmakers in the House and Senate, Omar has been demanding recurring survival checks since April, when she and other CPC members signed a letter<\/a> calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to support a relief package that includes “monthly direct cash payments of at least $2,000 to every adult in the U.S., and an additional $1,000 for every child for up to a year.”<\/p>\n According to recent polling<\/a> conducted by Data for Progress, 65% of U.S. voters say they would support the federal government providing $2,000 payments per month to every American for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u2014Rep. Ilhan Omar, letter<\/span>“As we look at the coming year, 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,” the letter continues. “One more check is not enough during this public health and economic crisis. Many families cannot afford to wait for eight months between payments.”<\/p>\n