OR-Sen: Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D) Calls On Pres. Biden To Make Stimulus Payments Monthly
A group of senior Democrats are calling for President Joe Biden to support regular direct payments to low-income Americans while the US economy recovers from the pandemic.
Insider obtained a copy of the letter that's being sent to the White House, led by Democrats chairing key economic committees in the Senate. They are urging the Biden administration to prioritize putting federal aid on autopilot for stimulus payments and unemployment insurance, a concept known as automatic stabilizers.
They want the measure to form part of a follow-up economic recovery package.
These Senate Democrats say setting up stabilizers for stimulus checks and unemployment assistance would be effective at providing immediate relief during economic downturns. In calling for the measure, they wrote: “This crisis is far from over, and families deserve certainty that they can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.”
“Families should not be at the mercy of constantly-shifting legislative timelines and ad hoc solutions,” they said.
Key signatories include Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, chair of the Senate Finance Committee; Sen. Bernie Sanders, chair of the Senate Budget Committee; and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, chair of the Senate Banking Committee.
Here are the full list of Senators:
- Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon
- Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
- Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
- Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
- Sen. Alex Padilla of California
- Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado
- Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is wasting no time getting the rest of the Senate Democrats on board. Received this e-mail today from PCCC:
THE HILL: Democrats Push Biden To Include Recurring Payments In Recovery Package
HUFFINGTON POST: Democrats Push Biden To Avoid Major Mistake Of Last Economic Recovery
Today, we made big news by joining forces with 10 Senate Democrats in urging President Joe Biden to go really big in his next “Build Back Better” long-term recovery bill set to be proposed soon.
Struggling Americans need ongoing relief checks and unemployment benefits tied to economic conditions. It should be on cruise control, not dictated by congressional whims and stonewalling.
We worked with Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden and our friends at the Economic Security Project to announce a public letter urging Biden to go big, signed by Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Alex Padilla, Tammy Baldwin, Sherrod Brown, and other senators.
Sign our petition calling on the other 40 Democratic senators to sign Wyden's letter and signal to Biden that he has the votes to go big on ongoing benefits for struggling families? Click here — and pass this to others.
Huffington Post described the stakes: “Ten Democratic senators are pushing President Joe Biden to make direct payments and the extension of boosted unemployment insurance benefits automatic until the economy fully recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, aiming to take the fate of the recovery out of the hand of politicians and avoiding a key mistake of the Democratic plan to recover from the financial collapse of 2008.”
Forbes covered our message: “This crisis is far from over, and families deserve certainty that they can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads,” the senators wrote. “Families should not be at the mercy of constantly-shifting legislative timelines and ad hoc solutions.”
The Washington Post described the politics: “The letter cites the popularity of recurring direct payments with the public and economic experts. Those involved with the push argue Democrats’ twin victories in the Georgia Senate runoffs prove that direct checks are a political winner for the party. 'Georgia showed the political power of checks, and data shows these checks plus unemployment benefits keep millions of families out of poverty,' said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.”
And Fox Business covered the petition we're asking you to sign right now! “The senators are pairing their request with a grassroots push from the left-leaning Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Economic Security Project, which is calling on other lawmakers to sign the proposal.”
Biden offers his next big economic bill in a couple weeks. We know he cares about congressional support.
We’ll keep senators and the media informed as momentum and support builds.
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
— The PCCC Team (@BoldProgressive)
