Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and 50 other representatives sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday calling for monthly stimulus checks.
“People across Minnesota and the entire country are suffering. Millions remain out of work and countless more have had their hours cut or income dry up as a result of the pandemic. A one-time payment of $2,000 is simply not enough,” Omar said in the statement.
The Biden administration has proposed a one-time $1,400 stimulus check. If the $1.9 trillion plan is passed, it would be the third direct payment made to individuals amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Omar said these previous stimulus bills “provided critical relief to those who needed it most.”
“The American people are counting on us to deliver transformative change, and we need to meet the moment by delivering monthly payments of $2,000,” she continued. “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. One more check is not enough during this public health and economic crisis.” (RELATED: Former Top Trump Administration Economist Supports Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Package)
$2,000 monthly payments until the pandemic is over. https://t.co/6tuia6prFJ
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 28, 2021
Omar and the representatives who signed off on the letter also asked for financial assistance to extend to adults and their dependents as well as to “immigrant workers, refugees, and their families.”
In December 2020 Senate Republicans blocked Senate Democrats’ attempts to allow a vote on $2,000 stimulus checks. Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin told The Washington Post in early January that he is more focused on getting people vaccinated than on sending out another round of stimulus checks.