Fourth Stimulus Check Update: Biden Administration Willing To Hear ‘Range Of Ideas’

There haven’t been any official announcements regarding a fourth stimulus check being handed out to Americans, but the Biden Administration is officially leaving the door open to the possibility of them, even if they aren’t part of the current plans to rebuild the economy.

Current economic plans are focused more on infrastructure, employment and education initiatives to help repair parts of the U.S. Economy which were decimated by the COVID-19 Pandemic, but during a recent press conference, White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated that while President Biden isn’t currently putting more stimulus checks on the table, he’s still willing to consider them in the future if they wind up being needed.

“He’s happy to hear from a range of ideas on what would be most effective and what’s most important to the economy moving forward,” Psaki said, via Fortune. “But he’s also proposed what he thinks is going to be the most effective for the short term for putting people back to work, to getting through this pivotal period of time, and also to making us more competitive in the long term.”

The update came as millions of Americans signed a petition calling for another round of payments, as well as more protocols in place to trigger automatic checks if certain benchmarks are met. That came on the heels of experts and even other lawmakers, particularly Progressive members of Congress, also pitching for new checks in the hopes of helping pull millions out of poverty.

Concerns about the need for another stimulus check also come as several states are making plans to cut unemployment aid early, while recent surveys also suggested that the last two rounds of payments--$600 in December and $1400 in March—played a direct role in decreasing economic hardship for the neediest of Americans.

However, the Administration’s hesitancy to provide another round of checks comes from signs the economy is rebounding. Jobs reports have not been as strong as hoped, but consumer spending has increased, and the economy is expected to show a great rebound over the summer with loosened restrictions around the country.

In addition, financial assistance is set to arrive to eligible families beginning in July with an expanded child tax credit. Those qualifying households will see payments from July-December of an extra $300 per child under 6 and $250 per child aged 6-17 directly deposited into their accounts.