Americans could receive stimulus payments soon, Mnuchin says

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – After months of congressional negotiation and stalemates, some Americans could finally receive another COVID relief payment as early as Tuesday night, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement on Twitter.

Those $600 payments would be sent via direct deposit, with paper stimulus checks being mailed Wednesday.

“Treasury and the IRS are working with unprecedented speed to issue a second round of Economic Impact Payments to eligible Americans and their families,” Mnuchin said in a statement. “These payments are an integral part of our commitment to providing vital additional economic relief to the American people during this unprecedented time.”

Mnuchin added that the Get My Payment tracking tool on the IRS website, which has been temporarily unavailable, will be accessible again “later this week.”

Americans who make under $75,000 per year will soon receive a one-time $600 check based on their 2019 income for them as well as for dependents under the age of 17. The payments are gradually diminished for people making more than $75,000, or $150,000 for married couples, and phased out completely for income levels of $87,000 for individuals and $174,000 for couples.

Meantime, a Senate vote on a bill to raise the second stimulus check to $2,000, an amount supported by Democrats and President Trump, was blocked Tuesday by Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the chamber would “begin a process” to address the issue after shutting down Democrats’ proposed vote on the checks.

McConnell countered with a bill that would tie the $2,000 stimulus checks to the repeal of Section 230, the social media immunity law, and the creation of a commission on election fraud.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders addressed the possibility of McConnell attaching a repeal of Section 230 to the larger stimulus checks, saying, “I hope that doesn’t happen, the House passed a clean bill, that’s what the American people want us to do, not to put in poison pills, not to muddy the water.”

It’s still possible that McConnell could arrange votes on both the House bill and the version tying the $2,000 checks to the two Trump priorities.

Regardless of the outcome, Americans will receive a second round of stimulus checks for $600 after President Trump signed legislation Sunday to provide COVID relief and avert a government shutdown.

Along with the stimulus checks, the bill includes a $300-per-week unemployment boost through March 14, a continuation of the Paycheck Protection Program, extended eviction protections and a new relief fund to help renters.

If the $2,000 stimulus checks are ultimately approved and signed into law, “Economic Impact Payments that have been issued will be topped up as quickly as possible,” according to a Treasury Department statement.