Following the passage of the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill in March, tens of millions of third-stimulus checks were distributed earlier this year. The chances of a fourth stimulus package becoming widely available to most Americans anytime soon are slim.
However, here's what's going on and who's eligible for one of these new payments, which, notably, aren't coming from the IRS.
This pandemic assistance payout was revealed a few days ago by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. It's part of a larger $700 million effort to help farm and food workers. Accordingly, a one-time $600 payment is going to farmworkers and the US meatpacking workforce.
A portion of the $700 million, up to $20 million, would be used to assist grocery shop employees.
Unlike earlier stimulus payments, these new payments will not be made by the IRS. They'll come from state agencies, organizations, and tribal governments, rather than from the private sector.
Vilsack's agency will give funding to those organizations. According to the secretary, his organization will reward funders that have a track record of being responsive to migrant workers, for example.
"Our farmworkers, meat-packing workers, and grocery workers overcame unprecedented challenges and took on significant personal risk to ensure Americans could feed and sustain their families throughout the pandemic," Vilsack said in a news release.
The amount of the check that the grocery workers would receive is still unknown.
Other stimulus payments, in addition to these new ones, are also on their way. Three more child tax credit payments will be made, giving qualified parents a few hundred dollars extra each month.
The next installments are due on Oct. 15, Nov. 15, and Dec. 15, respectively. The checks are set to expire at this time, just as the midterm election season begins.
The federal response to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic so far has paid out $3,200 to eligible adults: $1,200 in March 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act; $600 in December relief; and $1,400 in March under President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan.
Meanwhile, some states are creating their own form of stimulus checks.
