Third Stimulus Check: Where Things Stand in Senate

The Senate is due to take up the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package this week and there are concerns that the plan could be altered by senators, particularly when it comes to stimulus checks.

The House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan by a vote to 219 to 212 in the early hours of Saturday. The bill contains $1,400 checks and an increase in the federal minimum wage, though this will likely be stripped out in the Senate.

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) will be crucial in determining whether the checks go forward as planned. He is in favor of lowering the threshold for those eligible for the payment.

The House bill bases the stimulus checks on the same income criteria as the previous two checks.

Individuals earning an adjusted gross income of up to $75,000, heads of households earning up to $125,000 and married couples filing jointly who earn up to $150,000 would receive the full payment, according to CNBC.

However, those earning higher incomes will see lower payments as the checks are phased out and those surpassing the income threshold would receive nothing. The bill’s income thresholds for checks are $100,000 for an individual, $150,000 for heads of households and $200,000 for married couples.

Manchin is in favor of lowering the income threshold and has said his staff have been talking to Democratic leaders about changes to the relief bill that would make its provisions more “targeted.”

A group of moderate Democrats met President Joe Biden on Monday to discuss amendments to the bill.

“We talked about the package and we talked about targeting dollars,” said Montana Senator John Tester.

The budget reconciliation process means lawmakers have to operate within defined rules, so radical changes may not be possible. The Senate parliamentarian has already ruled out using the process to raise the minimum wage despite the language in the House bill.

However, Democrats will need Manchin’s support to pass the stimulus bill. Manchin, along with Senator Susan Collins (R-MN), a moderate Republican, led an effort to introduce a non-binding resolution restricting stimulus payments to high earners during the budget debate.

Several Republicans who met Biden last week have also expressed support for tightening eligibility and preventing those on high incomes from receiving the $1,400 checks.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) pushed hard for a fresh round of stimulus checks in December and has recently found himself allied with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on the issue of raising the minimum wage. Hawley’s vote could be essential to passing the stimulus package if Democrats can’t rely on Manchin.

“I’m not going to vote for a bill unless it includes direct checks,” Hawley told former President Donald Trump in a call in early December.

Despite Hawley’s earlier support for checks, it remains unclear whether he will cross party lines and vote in favor of the American Rescue Plan. The bill contains many provisions that Republicans have criticized, such as $350 billion in aid to state and local governments.

If Democrats want the stimulus package to pass, they may have to depend on their slim majority and Vice President Kamala Harris’ deciding vote.