Third Stimulus Check: Biden's Relief Plan, $1,400 Payments Finally Gets GOP Support

President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan and $1,400 checks are finally earning the support of some GOP officials across the U.S.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, a Republican, said he is rooting for the president to push through the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion aid package and give reprieve to his city, which is considered the poorest in the state of California.

“The relief plan will help get us to the end,” he told The Washington Post.

Without the coronavirus economic package, Fresno may consider laying off over 250 workers, including people working in the police department and fire department, in hopes of closing a $31 million budget shortfall.

“That is going to be devastating,” Dyer added.

Republicans in Congress have publicly opposed the relief bill and have slammed a measure that would send $350 billion in federal aid to states, cities, and tribal governments.

“Big doesn’t necessarily mean good,” Rep. Anthony Gonzales, R-Ohio, told PBS. “Let’s go smart. Let’s go targeted and let’s solve the actual need.”

However, GOP officials at statehouses and city hall throughout the U.S. believe the relief package would help keep police departments from missing a beat and provide aid to the increasing number of homeless and hungry people.

“It’s not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue,” Dyer said. “It’s a public health issue. It’s an economic issue. And it’s a public safety issue.”

Billed as the American Rescue Plan, Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief proposal augments many of the measures included in the previous packages. The plan would include sending a third round of stimulus checks amounting to $1,400 per person and $2,800 per couple.

The new payments would also go to adult dependents, including children over the age of 17, who were left out of the previous checks. It would also give payments to mixed-status households.

The American Rescue Plan includes provisions to extend the enhanced unemployment aid to millions of jobless Americans. The package will increase the unemployment aid to $400 a week from the previous $300.

President Biden would extend the 15% increase in food stamp benefits, which is set to expire in June. The government will invest $3 billion in food assistance for women and children. U.S. territories also would get $1 billion in nutrition assistance.