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President Donald Trump spoke out about a second round of stimulus checks on Monday. Americans say the first round of checks sent a couple of months ago wasn’t enough to get by.
Trump responded during an interview with Scripps local TV about the possibility of a second round of stimulus checks. He was asked if Americans will receive more help during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Yeah, we are. We are,” Trump replied. “We will be doing another stimulus package. It’ll be very good. It’ll be very generous.”
Trump was then asked how generous the checks will be. He replied, “You’ll find out about it. You’ll find out.”
However, a White House official told NBC News that the payments were “part of something the economic team is studying,” and said “no decisions [have been] made yet.”
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$1,200 per person was approved by Congress in March. The direct payments were slated for individuals making less than six figures. This was an effort to help people cushion the blow of the pandemic. By early June, 159 stimulus payments had been processed, according to the IRS.
However, the second round of checks hasn’t seemed to be a high priority. Last month, the HEROES Act was passed by the Democratic-led House that included a second round of checks. But, the Republican-controlled Senate resisted. The leaders said they wanted to see if any additional aid was actually needed.
Trump economic advisors have pressed for the President to reject additional spending and instead focus on tax cuts and deregulatory measures. They argue that doing so will aid the recovery thanks to a surge in retail sales and people returning to work in May.
“We shouldn’t be doing any more spending,” said Steve Moore, a conservative economist who has counseled President Trump.
However, Trump himself favors a payroll tax cut. He says it would be “doing things for restaurants and various pieces of entertainment industry, which will be an incentive, whether it’s deductions or whatever.”
If a second round of stimulus checks are approved, some Americans might check out the latest new car deals. However, most will likely spend the money on debt and to help them make ends meet.
Related: Volunteer Firefighter Expects Stimulus Check, Finds $8 Million in Account
