After months of stalling and debating and just general f*ckery, Congress looks to be on the verge of passing another stimulus bill. While the last relief package issued $1200 checks to most American adults, the new package manages to make that already paltry amount look positively bountiful.
The next round of checks is likely going to be only $600, which is a baffling amount. What exactly is $600 supposed to do for most people? The extra unemployment benefits have also been cut in half from the last package, from $600 and week to $300.
$600 feels like an amount that was arrived at by asking the question “what’s the smallest amount that doesn’t feel like nothing but absolutely feels like a fuck you?” https://t.co/CuITZuQxQd
— 💀 damned sinker 💀 (@dansinker) December 8, 2020
People have spent most of this year suffering financially—not to mention emotionally and in many cases, medically—and Congress has decided that a whopping total $1800 is enough to help us through the entire year?
While $600 is technically better than nothing, it also feels worse than nothing, like those jerks who leave a quarter as a tip for their restaurant server instead of nothing in order to make some sort of point about bad service. It’s the congressional equivalent of Jeff Bezos giving his employees $10 turkey vouchers as a holiday bonus. It’s insulting.
As usual, Twitter has some thoughts.
Rich people pretending like 600 dollars is going to beef up someone’s savings when they can’t pay rent. This country is gross
— 🎅🏿Imani Gandy Cane🎅🏿 (@AngryBlackLady) December 18, 2020
600 dollars is what rich people think poor people think is a lot of money
— Simon Gibson (@simeygibson) December 18, 2020
BREAKING: Congress has announced that the next round of stimulus will be a pizza party
— big dumb idiot (@drunkenoprah) December 17, 2020
Next stimulus package is a one month free trial to STARZ.
— Professor Garbage PhD (@maggieserota) December 18, 2020
BREAKING: Congress has announced that the next round of stimulus will be a $25 gift card to Starbucks and a free Big Gulp refill.
— Gary King (@grking) December 17, 2020
$600 a week may seem low–and it is–but with a little scrimping it should be a big help *someone whispers in my ear* are you fucking kidding me
— Cohen is a ghost (@skullmandible) December 18, 2020
I literally want to cry reading this. SO REMOVED FROM REALITY pic.twitter.com/dehrqWM173
— Red Bait 📕 (@red_baiting) December 17, 2020
600 bucks is what I paid for my studio apartment 20 years ago. No way it’s fucking helping anyone. Universal basic income or bust, baby.
— Wendy Molyneux (@WendyMolyneux) December 17, 2020
When the Pentagon stole $1,000,000,000 of taxpayer money meant for masks & medical equipment to go to defense contractors building jet engines & body armor. There was NOTHING done. But it’s unrealistic for citizens to demand more than $600, $1200, etc???
— Bella Goth (@HoodSocialism) December 16, 2020
“You can either get stimulus money or unemployment but not both,” say Republicans demanding corporate immunity for worker abuse AND tax cuts for the very rich AND subsidies for friends AND total lack of oversight or accountability for their connected pals scamming PPP AND…
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 18, 2020
— cathy humes (@CrappyFumes) December 17, 2020
Following the journey of this long-overdue stimulus package has been infuriating. Like when Rep. Katie Porter revealed that Mitch McConnell had stonewalled all discussions in order to protect corporations from liability lawsuits. Or when Nancy Pelosi said she accepted a smaller bill because the vaccine was on the way and we have an incoming president who believes in science—a great thing, for sure, but it doesn’t help people buy groceries.
Or when Sen. Ron Johnson singlehandedly blocked the idea of $1200 checks.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) objects to a relief bill, saying stimulus bills don’t stimulate the economy.
He instead proposes “lower regulation” and “a competitive tax system.” pic.twitter.com/tp7CYLY3mk
— The Recount (@therecount) December 18, 2020
Or this new report from the Washington Post that says White House aides talked Donald Trump out of supporting larger payments, as much as $2,000 per person:
Trump was in the middle of formally drafting his demand for the larger payments when White House officials told him that doing so could imperil delicate negotiations over the economic relief package, the officials said. Congressional Republicans have insisted that the relief bill remain less than $1 trillion, and it’s currently designed to cost around $900 billion. Larger stimulus checks could push the package’s total over $1 trillion.
When Donald Trump ends up coming down on the side of the people, it’s a really dark day for Congress.
(image: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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