House Democrats are preserving the income limits for the next round of direct payments in President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, rejecting a push from more moderate Democrats to reduce the number of Americans who are eligible for the full payments.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal released a proposal on Monday that would provide the full $1,400-per-person payment to individuals making up to $75,000 per year and couples making up to $150,000 per year.
Some moderate Democrats had talked about reducing those limits to $50,000 and $100,000 respectively as a cost-cutting measure. Liberals had insisted that the lower-end limits stay as they were in earlier rounds of coronavirus relief.
Under the proposal from Mr. Neal, Massachusetts Democrat, individuals earning more than $100,000 per year and couples earning more than $200,000 per year would not be eligible to receive any partial payments.
Lawmakers across the political spectrum almost universally agree that the payments should be targeted to those who need them the most.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, one of the Democrats talking about the $50,000/$100,000 limits, suggested he could support Mr. Neal’s numbers.
“We’re just trying to make sure that people…are truly in need,” he said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said earlier Monday that Mr. Biden believes that nurses or teachers earning $60,000 per year shouldn’t be left without any support.
“But either way, his bottom line is that families making $275,000, $300,000 a year may not be the most in need of checks at this point in time,” Ms. Psaki said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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