The White House is now pushing Congress to authorize extra funding for COVID-19 testing materials and ensure that uninsured Americans continue to receive free treatment for the virus since finances for the program are rapidly running out. If this funding is only the beginning, there's a chance that a fourth stimulus check may be given to Americans.
"From the COVID side, the bank account is empty," said Covid-19 deputy coordinator Natalie Quillian, per the Associated Press. "We're in conversations with lawmakers about how to secure the funding, but it's urgently needed."
In this two-year-long health crisis, Congress has approved three direct payments to the majority of eligible Americans: a $1,200 check in April 2020, a $600 check in December, and the $1,400 installments approved this spring under President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan.
However, the pandemic is still causing headaches across the country, and the current high inflationary pressures are just getting worse, placing even more burden on the wallets of regular, pandemic-weary Americans.
Despite the fact that the American Rescue Plan has been in effect for a full year, there are still several calls for additional stimulus payments.
Officials have stated that the current White House request for an additional $16 billion will go into antibody treatments, prophylactic shots for the immunocompromised, and community testing sites.
But that doesn't rule out the possibility of another batch of payments. When asked about more direct payments to Americans, Psaki confirmed during a news conference in January that "we're in constant conversations."
Psaki also previously told reporters that "[President Biden] is happy to hear from a range of ideas on what would be most effective and what's most important to the economy moving forward." And during a separate media briefing, she essentially punted the responsibility to Congress: "We'll see what members of Congress propose, but those are not free."
Furthermore, monthly "stimulus" payments might be in the form of a resurrected enhanced child tax credit. Under Sen. Mitt Romney's Family Security Act, eligible families with children under the age of five would receive $350 per child, while families with children aged five to seventeen would get $250 per child.
There is a job requirement tied to the payouts, which has also been advocated by Sen. Joe Manchin, most likely in an effort to attract more bipartisan support (D-WV).
For now, some Americans are still positive and hoping for a fourth stimulus check. Only time will tell how this plays out.
