Democratic Reps. Tim Ryan and Ro Khanna introduced a bill, the Emergency Money for the People Act, that would send Americans 16 or older who make less than $130,000 a year, $2,000 every month for at least the next six months. The hope is to help out Americans who are losing jobs in historically alarming numbers. Rep. Ryan explained in a press release that, “The economic impact of this virus is unprecedented for our country. As millions of Americans file for unemployment week over week, we have to work quickly to patch the dam—and that means putting cash in the hands of hard-working families,” going on to explain that the Emergency Money for the People Act is the second step in much-needed economic relief.
Rep. Khanna was critical of the stimulus in helping most Americans when it was passed in the middle of March. This bill hopes to ameliorate the continuing economic deterioration that most Americans are feeling as a result of our federal government failing to adequately act in protecting American lives and the economy from the COVID-19 pandemic. “A one-time, $1,200 dollar check isn’t going to cut it,” Rep. Khanna explained.