Congress has finally agreed to a $900 billion COVID relief package which includes $300 a week in enhanced unemployment benefits and a $600 stimulus check. Barring any shenanigans, it should pass both Houses and be signed by President Trump by tomorrow.
It is a far cry from the $3 trillion HEROES Act passed by the House in May which would have extended the $600 a week enhanced unemployment benefits and another $1200 stimulus check let alone the $2.2 trillion version of the HEROES Act passed in October.
The $600 stimulus checks could begin to be deposited into bank accounts in a matter of days. I have a feeling a lot of Georgians will be getting their checks before Christmas.
If this is the case I wonder if it will be sufficient for Georgia voters to cast ballots for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in sufficient numbers to keep Mitch McConnell and the GOP in charge of the Senate. Granted, more than 1.3 million Georgians have already cast ballots in the first week of early voting. But early voting lasts until December 30th and then there's election day on January 5th. So a $600 check or the hope of a $600 check might be enough to help Republicans hold onto power.
If that is the case then Americans should not expect any further COVID relief despite what might be proposed by the incoming Biden Administration. So long as McConnell is in charge of the Senate he will be in no hurry to pass another round of stimulus checks and further unemployment relief. And if he does reconsider we should not expect the package will not exceed the $900 billion agreed to today.
To put it bluntly, $600 more than 9 months after getting a $1200 stimulus is a pittance. If Georgians see fit to elect Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock then Americans can look forward to a more generous stimulus and relief package in 2021. But I have a bad feeling Georgians are going to be satisfied with the bone thrown their way.
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