Despite speculation that a fourth stimulus check could be around the corner, there remains no sign that the federal government has any interest in making further direct payments to American taxpayers.
With Democrats unable to pass their landmark Build Back Better and “voting rights” legislation, there has been no indication of a new package designed to deliver a fourth direct payment. Some legislators, however, have argued strongly in favor of extending the enhanced child tax credit for an additional year – a measure opposed by moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also hit out at moderate Democratic Senator Kirsten Sinema for her refusal to toe the party line and pass Build Back Better. Ocasio-Cortez called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week to make Sinema’s life “as difficult as possible.”
“Actually he should continue to make their lives as difficult as possible and treat them the way they treat, say, public housing residents. Or parents who rely on CTC [Child Tax Credit],” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter.
A Fourth Stimulus Check: Just Fake News?
Some fake reports shared on social media have wrongly claimed that stimulus checks are just around the corner, with one viral Facebook post claiming that $2,000 payments will be deposited directly into bank accounts on February 9.
Other posts have claimed that many Americans are eligible for a further $1,400 in 2022. These claims are inaccurate.
What’s Really On The Table? A ‘ Fourth Stimulus Check’ for Some
There are two ways that taxpayers may receive economic ‘stimulus checks’ in 2022.
Parents of children born in the 2021 calendar year may be eligible for an additional $1,400 in direct payment from the government this year. To receive the payment, parents must be making no more than $75,000 per year. Couples filing taxes jointly are eligible if their combined income is less than $150,000.
Parents who received monthly child tax credit payments last year should also expect a lump sum payment for the remaining six months of child tax credit payments, distributed under the American Rescue Plan. To receive the payment, parents must file their 2021 taxes this tax season.
Will California Push for $1,100 Stimulus?
With further stimulus checks effectively off the cards, some state legislators are pushing for direct payments paid out from state budgets.
After California revealed a projected $45.7 billion budget surplus in January, one state senator argued that the surplus could be used to pay $1,125 to every taxpayer, or $4,500 for a family of four people.
“If each grain of rice is $100,000, that means California’s $45 billion surplus is taxes over-collected by this much,” state Senator Brian Jones said.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and report on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
