Will There Be Another Stimulus Check? Trump May Be On Board Despite Rejecting House Democrats' $3 Trillion HEROES Act

Another round of direct payments may be on the way for Americans after President Trump, along with others in his administration, indicated this week that they would support another stimulus bill despite Republicans recently rejecting the Democrats' $3 trillion HEROES Act.

“I think we will. I think we’re going to be helping people out. We’re gonna be getting some money for them during the artificial — cause it really is it’s an artificial closure — and now we’re gonna be able to open it up,” Trump said when asked about another stimulus bill Thursday while touring a Ford Motors factory in Michigan. “I would say there could be one more nice shot. One more nice dose.”

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that he sees a “strong likelihood” for an additional stimulus.

The comments from Trump and Mnuchin come after White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters on May 8 that formal talks with Congress had paused for the month.

“Well we just had another big infusion,” Kudlow said.

On May 15, the Democratic-majority House of Representatives passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act to provide financial aid to Americans negatively impacted by the coronavirus. The bill would provide another round of direct payments of at least $1,200 to most Americans, and would extend the extra $600 a week in unemployment insurance through January. It also includes financial support to state and local governments, along with hospitals. The bill has been championed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Trump immediately declared the HEROES act as "DOA" and administration officials also made clear they weren't interested in negotiating another aid package.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also stated that the legislation was “dead on arrival” in the Senate. McConnell has characterized the bill as a “liberal wishlist.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said “Americans can’t afford to wait” on the legislation.

Democratic and Republican leaders are now more likely to continue their negotiations on another stimulus bill through June. Republicans want the next bill to include liability protections for businesses in order to protect them from lawsuits amid the pandemic.

The U.S. economy has been hard hit from the coronavirus, with unemployment ticking up to 14.7% in April. As of Saturday at 10:50 p.m. ET, there are 1,604,189 coronavirus cases and 96,082 deaths in the U.S.