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Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont made an impassioned call on Monday for direct payments to Americans as a must-have for the next stimulus package.
"Congress cannot go home for the Christmas holidays until we pass legislation which provides a $1,200 direct payment to working class adults, $2,400 for couples, and a $500 payment to their children," Sanders said, according to CNN reporter Daniela Diaz.
—Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 14, 2020
The independent senator has urged his colleagues to prioritize $1,200 direct payments to individuals in the past, facing an uphill battle in the short term.
Direct payments are not included in the bipartisan $908 billion compromise effort being championed in Congress.
Sanders pointed out that direct payments received bipartisan support at the outset of the pandemic in the CARES Act.
"This is what Democrats and Republicans did unanimously in March through the CARES Act," Sanders said. "This is what we have to do today."
As weeks have gone by without a new package, Sanders has argued that only the wealthy and corporations have been a priority for most lawmakers in the stimulus negotiations.
—Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 9, 2020
Direct payments appear unlikely to materialize until President-elect Joe Biden takes office, according to Capitol Hill observers.
Among many economists, direct payments are considered vital to a pandemic economic recovery. In a joint letter from 153 economists organized by the Economic Security Project and The Justice Collaborative, the experts argue payments will keep consumer demand going as the fallout lingers on.
"Even after businesses start to re-open and jobs begin to come back, there will be significant economic fallout," the authors write, "and demand will continue to lag if people don't have money to spend."
