The White House supports a push by House Democrats to cap who would receive $1,400 coronavirus stimulus checks at individuals making $75,000 a year and couples with a combined annual income of $150,000.
Draft legislation released Monday by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal reflected President Biden’s proposal. But it conflicts with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s pitch of targeting the direct payments to individuals making $50,000 and couples earning $100,000.
“He supports where the status of the negotiations are at this point, so, yes, the $75,000,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday.
Manchin is a key vote in the Senate as Democrats try to muscle Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus package through Congress using the fast-track budgetary process known as reconciliation. Even though reconciliation only requires a simple majority of 51 votes, Democratic control of the Senate hinges on all 48 Democrats, two independents, and Vice President Kamala Harris being in favor of the final package.
Earlier in the briefing, Psaki reiterated that Biden is “open to having a discussion about the thresholds” to ensure people who need help receive it. What is nonnegotiable, though, is the $1,400 amount as the maximum value of the checks.
“He doesn’t feel that families making over $250,000 a year should be the target of this relief, but there is a scale-up, right?” she said.
Under Neal’s legislation, individuals who declared making $100,000 and couples earning $200,000 in their 2019 and 2020 tax returns wouldn’t get a direct payment.
The House’s framework, of which Neal’s bill is only one piece, extends unemployment benefits until Aug. 29 and provides funding for schools and local governments. It also contains a new proposal: a tax child credit worth up to $3,600 per child.
Psaki, too, skirted questions about the other headline dominating Tuesday’s news cycle: that of former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial.
“Joe Biden is the president. He’s not a pundit,” she said when asked to weigh in on Republican impeachment manager arguments.
