{"id":9074,"date":"2021-01-16T00:13:22","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T00:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=150847"},"modified":"2021-01-16T00:13:22","modified_gmt":"2021-01-16T00:13:22","slug":"after-biden-unveils-covid-19-relief-plan-tlaib-doubles-down-on-demand-for-2000-monthly-payments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/16\/after-biden-unveils-covid-19-relief-plan-tlaib-doubles-down-on-demand-for-2000-monthly-payments\/","title":{"rendered":"After Biden Unveils Covid-19 Relief Plan, Tlaib Doubles Down on Demand for $2,000 Monthly Payments"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Joining a chorus of progressive critics disappointed<\/a> by the direct payment provision of President-elect Joe Biden’s new coronavirus pandemic relief plan, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Friday evening reiterated the need for two bills she has introduced that would aid Americans affected by the ongoing public health and economic crises.<\/p>\n

Biden’s $1.9 trillion proposal<\/a> calls for $1,400 checks, the difference between the $600 that lawmakers agreed to in a recent relief package and the $2,000 sought by some Democrats for months. Though President Donald Trump backed boosting the checks on his way out the door, the increase failed<\/a> to garner enough congressional support.<\/p>\n

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) expressed<\/a> disappointment that Biden’s plan doesn’t include $2,000 checks. Tlaib (D-Mich.) joined in, tweeting: “That $600 is already in the clutches of landlords and bill collectors. Stop compromising the working class, and our most vulnerable neighbors.”<\/p>\n

Tlaib also promoted two bills she introduced last session: the Automatic BOOST to Communities (ABC) and the Building Our Opportunities to Survive and Thrive (BOOST) acts. The former would provide $2,000 per month to eligible individuals during the Covid-19 crisis, then $1,000 monthly payments for the next year.<\/p>\n

As a Forbes<\/em> report<\/a> about the ABC Act, shared on Friday by Tlaib, detailed:<\/p>\n

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The payments would be made via direct deposit if the [U.S.] Treasury has the individual’s banking information on file, unless the individual would prefer to have their payment made on an Interim BOOST Card (BOOST Card).<\/p>\n

The BOOST Card would be a prepaid debit card that would not be subject to any fees, penalty charges, or usage restrictions. The full amount would be available for immediate withdrawal at any ATM in the country without any usage or withdrawal fees. Individuals who do not have banking information would receive their payments via a BOOST Card.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The Michigan Democrat officially introduced<\/a> the ABC Act<\/a> in April 2020 with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), after a few weeks of public discussion<\/a> about it. Jayapal, chair<\/a> of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is currently battling<\/a> Covid-19 after sheltering with maskless GOP lawmakers while pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol last week.<\/p>\n

“We have to deliver $2,000 survival checks to the American people. Not anything less,” Jayapal tweeted<\/a> Thursday evening. She has stuck to that call throughout the pandemic:<\/p>\n

Tlaib on Friday also highlighted the BOOST Act<\/a>, which she and Jayapal introduced<\/a> in June 2019\u2014months before the pandemic\u2014with Reps. Jes\u00fas “Chuy” Garc\u00eda (D-Ill.), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.). That bill would provide a Middle-Class Tax Credit of up to $3,000 annually for a single taxpayer and up to $6,000 annually for married couples, families, and joint filers.<\/p>\n

According to <\/a>a page of Tlaib’s congressional website dedicated to the BOOST Act:<\/p>\n