An online petition for monthly stimulus checks of $2,000 for the duration of the pandemic is inching toward 3 million signatures, as COVID-19 cases begin to rise yet again in the U.S. ahead of the Thanksgiving weekend.
Following a summer surge in support amid a deadly wave of coronavirus, momentum has eased for the direct cash payment campaign in the final stretch to its goal of 3 million signatures.
The Change.org petition, launched by Denver restaurant owner Stephanie Bonin, urges the U.S. House and Senate to deliver legislation that would provide a "$2,000 payment for adults and $1,000 payment for kids immediately and continuing regular checks" until the pandemic ends.
The campaign has drawn more than 2,962,640 signatures as of Saturday, with only about 34,870 new supporters in the past month and 6,000 in the past week. It will become one of Change.org's most-signed petitions if it reaches its benchmark of 3 million signatures.
During the summer wave of COVID-19 driven by the Delta variant, the campaign gained significant momentum, reaching peaks of more than 100,000 new supporters in a week as the pandemic forced business closures and families struggled to weather the economic fallout.
Meanwhile, a senior citizens advocacy group has asked congressional lawmakers to deliver a one-time stimulus check of $1,400 to Social Security recipients amid the inflation crisis.
Launched by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), the campaign is asking Congress for "emergency stimulus" to assist retirees, disabled adults, widows and widowers in coping with the "unprecedented" inflation year.
Data collected by the group found an estimated 6.2 percent increase to the Society Security cost of living in 2022, which greatly exceeds this year's increase of 1.3 percent to benefits.
More than 56 U.S. representatives, 21 senators and 150 economists—including Jason Furman, former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under the Obama administration—have urged President Joe Biden to back recurring stimulus checks this year.
However, their pressure never translated to action. With the recent passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, Democratic leaders and the White House have pivoted to passing a social safety net and climate bill that's key to Biden's agenda.
Neither bills contain any stimulus cash payments, and the Biden administration has repeatedly signaled over the past few months that stimulus is no longer a priority.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, introduced legislation in late July that would establish a federal universal basic income system. Under the proposed five-year pilot program, U.S. adults earning less than $75,000 annually would receive $1,200 a month and $600 for each dependent child.
The bill only drew support from four House Democrats—Cori Bush of Missouri, Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania, Jamaal Bowman of New York, and Pramila Jayapal of Washington.
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