A second round of stimulus payments that was included in a congressional aid package approved by Congress Monday night is now in jeopardy if President Trump does not sign the bill.
The agreement provided for checks of $ 600, but the president said on Tuesday that he would like the amount to increase to $ 2,000 per person.
House Republicans, however, on Thursday blocked Democrats from raising the amount – endangering the entire package. Democrats have faced Trump’s surprising objections to the bill in an attempt to push Republicans to accept a larger sum for stimulus checks – and Republican lawmakers are now in a difficult place where they will be forced to decide whether or not to challenge the president.
Democrats have promised that their effort is not over, promising to pass a bill to increase stimulus controls to $ 2,000, with a full top-down vote in parliament on Dec. 28.
Here are some key things to know about Covid-19 stimulus checks:
Who gets the money faster: Payments do not extend simultaneously. Those whose bank information is registered with the IRS will likely receive the money first, as it will be deposited directly into their account. Others will receive paper checks or prepaid debit cards in the mail.
About 90 million people – more than half of those eligible – received their payments in the first three weeks of April after the agreement was signed in March. Most people had the money within two months.
However, about 12 million eligible Americans risked not receiving the money at all because the IRS could not reach them. While most people received the money automatically, people with very low incomes, who do not normally file tax returns, had to register online before November 21 to provide their bank account address or number.
IRS under pressure: If Congress keeps eligibility requirements the same as in the first round of checks, the process can be almost as easy as pressing a button. But it could complicate things if the parameters are changed – especially if Congress adds restrictions in addition to revenue.
Additional checks may be delayed the beginning of the 2020 tax filing season. A second incentive check means that the agency will have to make changes to the tax return forms, some of which have already been sent to printers.
Some information: In March, Congress offered direct payments of $ 1,200 and couples $ 2,400 plus $ 500 per child under the $ 2 trillion CARES Act.
As in that first round, the $ 600 payments included in the current legislation will begin phasing out for people with adjusted gross incomes over $ 75,000, and those who make more than $ 99,000 will receive nothing. Income thresholds would be doubled for couples.
Read more about the Covid-19 stimulus negotiations here.
CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux, Phil Mattingly, Clare Foran and Kristin Wilson contributed to the reporting.