More Stimulus Checks On The Way? Direct Payments May Hinge On Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus

The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus unveiled a $1.5 trillion stimulus proposal this week that would provide another round of $1,200 direct payments to most Americans. The framework, called the “Search For Common Ground,” falls between the $500 billion “skinny” stimulus legislation that failed last week in the Senate, and the $2.2 trillion proposal backed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

The “Search For Common Ground” proposal released Tuesday also includes enhanced unemployment insurance, $290 billion for small businesses and nonprofits, $500.3 billion for state and local governments, and $100 billion for COVID-19 testing and healthcare.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., is one of the members of the Problem Solvers Caucus backing the bill. Spanberger, a first-term congresswoman representing the Richmond suburbs, faces a tough reelection battle this year after defeating Republican Dave Brat by only 2 points in 2018, 50.4% to 48.4%.

"Our focus is to say: This is where we found common ground, these are the programs that will deliver the immediacy of aid to our communities,” Spanberger told ABC News on Thursday.

Democratic leaders of eight House committees have shot down the bill, saying it “falls short of what is needed to save lives and boost the economy” in a joint statement.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, on the other hand, told Fox News on Thursday that President Donald Trump “was certainly willing to embrace the 1.5 trillion-dollar number that was put out in the last day or so.”

Trump would like a more robust stimulus bill than the $500 billion proposal offered by Republicans in the Senate. Trump has also previously suggested using $300 billion in unused COVID-19 relief funds for another round of direct payments but said he would seek congressional approval.

There is widespread bipartisan support for another round of stimulus checks among the American public. A Gallup survey published earlier this month found 82% of Democrats, 64% of Republicans, and 66% of independents support another round of direct payments.