Sen. Hawley introduces plan to provide $1,200 coronavirus stimulus checks

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday introduced a plan to provide $1,200 checks to individuals for coronavirus relief.

Hawley, R-Mo., said in a statement that the Emergency Direct Payments for Families and Workers Act would provide a one-time payment of $1,200 to individuals, $2,400 to couples filing jointly and $500 for each child. It was introduced as an amendment co-sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

"Today I am introducing legislation to provide direct #COVID19 relief for every working family in need - $1200/ person, $2400/ couple, $500/ child," Hawley said on Twitter on Thursday morning. "If the Senate will not include this help in a relief package, I will go to the floor & ask for up or down vote."

Hawley says American families need immediate help, and that many are struggling because of COVID-19. Hawley said he has asked President Donald Trump to veto any bill that does not provide direct payment to families.

The Trump administration has proposed a stimulus of $600 for individuals, $1,200 for couples and $600 for each child. The Trump administration's proposal could decrease unemployment funding from $180 billion to $40 billion to help pay for the checks.

Hawley said in a tweet that "Working families should not be an afterthought now. They should be first in line for #COVID19 relief."

Hawley pointed out in statements Thursday that his plan is the same as the relief plan the Senate approved in March. The initial coronavirus relief package passed Congress easily.

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However, congressional and White House negotiators have been at loggerheads for months over a new round of relief as a fall coronavirus surge threatens to do further economic damage. Lawmakers are racing to provide a new package before the end of the year when extended unemployment benefits for workers who lost jobs because of the pandemic will expire.

Many of the proposals -- including a $900 billion congressional framework -- have not included stimulus checks for households.

Senator Hawley told ABC 17 News, the reason for his proposal is because families nationwide are facing challenges due to COVID.

“I think what we need first of all is direct assistance to working families and working individuals. You’ve got people who’ve got kids at home because of COVID distance learning they’re having to miss shifts at work, they’re having to take reduction in their pay. You’ve got folks staying home to take care of relatives. You’ve got people who have been laid off and it’s fine to give folks unemployment, but that’s no solution to people who haven’t lost their job and are still hurting badly so I’ve introduced legislation today that will provide direct to every working person who needs it $1,200 for every individual, $2,400 to every couple and $500 to every kid in the household. This is exactly what the senate approved back in March and I look forward to it becoming law.”, Hawley explained.

Hawley says working families should be made a priority first, before spending additional funding on businesses and government, “I think that if we’re going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on government relief it ought to go to individuals and actual people in need, not just to governments and businesses, and listen I’ve got no problem with folks who need it, whether that’s businesses or others getting help on reasonable terms, but big business and big government, they should wait their turn and families and individuals should get the help they need first. I just believe in putting people first here and I don’t know why we would prioritize them last we should prioritize them first.”

Hawley explains the funding for this proposed stimulus would come from the same place it did, back in March, “It would come from the same place that we’ve used in the past for the COVID relief bill that we did back in March and that is that it’s going to come out of general revenue. Would this add money, add to the deficit short term, yeah it will, but it’s also a major national crisis and my fear is if we don’t help out working people the folks who actually power our economy now, then what we’ll see is continued closure of businesses an arise again of the unemployment rate and you want to talk about the long term consequences of that in terms of deficits in terms of spending, it’ll be catastrophic, but right now we’re in an acute crisis. This is a once in a century pandemic and my view is if we’re going to help people, families and individuals ought to be first in line.”

The Trump administration has proposed a bill of half of what Hawley is proposing. Hawley says he's talked to President Trump on multiple occasions and he seems to be in support of the proposal.

"I’ve talked to the president multiple times about this and I can say that he agrees and he has publicly said that there needs to be direct assistance to individuals. Of course, he was a big supporter of doing that back in March when Congress voted on it and I think that he would absolutely support this." Hawley explained.

Thursday evening, just hours after Hawley's introduction of the proposal, he announced in a press release that Senator Bernie Sanders would co-sponsor his proposal. Senator Sanders said in the release, In the midst of this terrible pandemic and economic crisis, this amendment would make certain that working families get the urgent, direct support they need to survive.  A direct payment of $1,200 for adults and $500 for kids would help desperate families pay rent and heating bills, put food on the table, and be able to go to the doctor.  In the midst of so much economic desperation, Congress cannot go on recess without providing this $1,200 emergency assistance to the American people in their time of need.  I look forward to working across the aisle with Senator Hawley to ensure that the United States Senate passes this amendment."