As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, struggling Americans are still hopeful for another round of stimulus checks and some are pushing for more than that: recurring payments.
Earlier in the pandemic, Stephanie Bonin, a restaurant owner in Denver, started a Change.org petition calling for $2,000 recurring payments to every American until the pandemic ends.
Today, the petition stands at over 2.9 signatures (well, at the time of publication), nearing its goal of 3 million. At 3 million signatures, Bonin’s petition will become one of the top Change.org campaigns.
Back in August, Bonin spoke with KUSA-TV, as the petition continued to gain momentum and as the Delta variant surged as the dominant strain of COVID-19.
“What is the change that is going to come out of COVID to make sure that we always have each others back?” Bonin asked via KUSA, as she emphasized the impact the pandemic has had on the restaurant industry, including friends in the business. “Right now feels extra important with the petition because the delta has become the next thing.”
Bonin said due to the pandemic her husband, who’s self-employed, lost his income. Though, the restaurant is still open, she’s been in fear of another slowdown, according to the NBC-affiliated outlet.
“One of the indicators that we’re seeing is our to-go orders are going back up,” she said, though back in August. “Once the vaccines came out it was just a nose dive, people were ready to not do to-go orders anymore and I think it was four weeks ago all of the sudden that reluctancy came in the form of, ‘I’m going to go back to just ordering curbside.’”
Though there’s no clear answer on whether Congress is aware of the petition, it gaining momentum in more signatures is only raising its awareness. Clearly, Bonin isn’t alone in her petitioning. Change.org has served as a platform for many stimulus-related campaigns.
Also, progressive lawmakers are also part of the fight for the fourth round of stimulus checks and/or recurring stimulus checks until the pandemic ends. Progressive lawmakers have written letters asking for future recurring payments, and “automatic stabilizers” or automatic payments deposited into the bank accounts of Americans in the near future.
Though parents are receiving recurring stimulus payments with the child tax credit. Though, that currently ends in December with the leftover amount having to be claimed when 2021 taxes are filed. Though, Democrats are pushing a proposal to extend the child tax credit until 2025 or indefinitely.
Still, in the meantime, the White House’s focuses seem to be on Biden’s infrastructure bill and other issues, not stimulus checks. Though, there are currently many other specialized stimulus checks being deposited: state-specific stimulus checks, job-specific stimulus checks, and even homeowners or renters.
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