STATEN ISLAND, NY – A petition calling on the federal government to provide monthly $ 2,000 stimulus checks that began last year has gained traction in recent weeks, recently exceeding 2.5 million signatures.
The Change.org petition – titled “$ 2,000 / month to every American #moneyforthepeople # covid19” – was started by Colorado resident Stephanie Bonin, a restaurant owner, who pointed out that the ‘takeover’ didn’t had not “reached a lot of Americans.”
Bonin said she, like many Americans, feared for her financial future due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Our country is still deeply in difficulty. The recovery has not reached many Americans – the true unemployment rate for low-wage workers is estimated at over 20% and many people face large debts last year for things like services public, rent and child care, â€Bonin says in the petition.
She continues: “The Congress must learn the lessons of the past year. It took Congress nine months to send out a second stimulus check, and a few moments to spend it. Going forward, Congress must automate recurring checks if certain triggers are met. No more waiting for our government to send the help we need.
The petition calls on Congress to provide continued support to American families in the form of recurring monthly payments of $ 2,000 during “the duration of the crisis.”
“We need the money – I am now in debt and my income has been reduced by 3/4 since covid,†said one of the petition’s comments.
“I still struggle to keep up with bills due to overdue bills,†said another.
So far, Congress has made no mention of its intention to send out a fourth stimulus check.
The first stimulus payment was approved in March 2020 and paid up to $ 1,200 for individuals and $ 2,400 for married couples. The second arrived in December 2020 and was $ 600. The third paid up to $ 1,400 for individuals and $ 2,800 for married couples and was distributed from March 2021.
CHILD TAX CREDIT COMING THIS MONTH
As part of the $ 1.9 trillion US bailout, millions of parents across the country will start receiving a child tax credit – $ 3,600 for every child under 6 and $ 3,000 for each child aged 6 to 17 – July 15.
Payments by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service of $ 300 per month will be sent to eligible parents for each child under 6 and $ 250 for each child aged 6 to 17. Monthly payments will represent half of the credit owed to families; the other half will be claimed on their 2021 tax return.
The second payment is scheduled for August 13. For this and monthly payments through December, updates to bank account information must be completed by August 2.
Bank account information can be updated through the Child Tax Credit Update Portal.
So far, the expansion of the child tax credit program has only been approved for 2021, but President Joe Biden and various lawmakers have expressed interest in making the expansion of the program permanent.
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