Fourth Stimulus Check Update: What McCarthy Speaker Win Means For More Payments

Americans may need to officially be prepared to say goodbye to stimulus checks now that Republicans have won control of the House of Representatives and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has finally won the role of Speaker of the House, as the slim Republican minority in the chamber intends to cut down on government spending as part of its agenda.

After holdouts in his own party continued to cast their votes for other members of the party, McCarthy finally secured a win on the 15th round of voting, receiving the gavel and title of the most powerful member of the House. Following the win, in his first remarks, McCarthy unveiled some of his priorities for the new session of Congress, which included attempting to eliminate some of the federal debt, which stands at over $31 trillion.

"We will also address America's long-term challenges: the debt and the Chinese Communist Party. Congress must speak with one voice on both of these issues," he said, according to Fox News.

With tackling debt a priority, that means Americans shouldn't expect stimulus checks. While none were sent out on a federal level since March 2021, some Americans have held out hope that the government would approve another round of checks as inflation raged and prices sky-rocketed everywhere, including at the grocery store and the gas pump. An October poll by Newsweek revealed that 63% of Americans felt the government should issue new checks because of inflation woes. Experts have also warned however that more spending on checks would make inflation worse, and that it would be unlikely that the new Republican-controlled House would approve of any similar measures.

However, while stimulus checks are most likely going to be a thing of the past, McCarthy's struggle to win the leadership of his party could give Democrats an unexpected edge in the House, despite their minority status.

According to Vox, if the far-right lawmakers who initially voted against him follow through on their promises to hold up certain legislation, Republicans will need Democrats to come across the aisle to help pass any bills—especially since they only have a narrow majority with 222 members to Democrats' 213. If members of the Freedom Caucus do hold up legislation, it will be up to republicans to potentially meet some Democratic demands in order to get things done, which gives Democrats an opportunity.

"The deal is, if they want to get stuff done, they're going to have to work with us," Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee told Vox. "And we're not going to be a cheap date."