Democratic Senators Propose Giving $2000 in Monthly Payments to Everyone
BY RICK MORAN
Democratic Senators Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Ed Markey have gone all Andrew Yang on us and will introduce a bill that gives $2000 a month to everyone.
Yang, the tech billionaire and Democratic candidate for president, made the centerpiece of his campaign a monthly check to Americans of $1000. It actually received some favorable media coverage outside the mainstream. But it wouldn’t have had a chance in Congress.
Now, Sanders, Harris, and Markey (sounds like a shady law firm) want to double down on Yang’s idea and give everyone $2000 a month — $4000 for couples and, if they have kids under 3 years old, another $2000 for them. The bill would also block those nasty little debt collectors from seizing any of that money.
But it’s OK. There’s a crisis, remember?
In addition to being more expensive and on a recurring basis, these payments would be available to US residents no matter if they have a social security number, which includes undocumented immigrants who pay taxes but don’t have a SSN.
Harris, who has been mentioned prominently as a running mate for Joe Biden, may have tanked her chances by signing on to this radical nonsense.
“The coronavirus pandemic has caused millions to struggle to pay the bills or feed their families,” said Harris in a statement. She cited the stimulus package as important step but added it’s not enough.
“Bills will continue to come in every single month during the pandemic and so should help from government. The Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act will ensure families have the resources they need to make ends meet. I am eager to continue working with Senators Sanders and Markey as we push to pass this bill immediately.”
The Sanders-Harris dynamic is interesting, if only because it presents Joe Biden with a dilemma. Biden wants — needs — a woman of color as his running mate. Harris is the obvious choice. But palling around with Bernie Sanders gives Biden the additional headache of taking on someone who is working with Sanders on what anyone would define as “radical” legislation.
This is the pair’s first major joint bill together, although they’ve co-sponsored legislation in the past. Harris famously was the first Democratic co-sponsor to hop onto Sanders’ Medicare-for-all bill in 2017, a move that caused major strife during the 2020 primary election when she backed off the proposal and ultimately released her own version that preserved the role of private insurance.
At the time, Sanders’ camp criticized the move.
Trump’s surging approval rating will make anyone who cozies up to Sanders a lot less desirable in Biden’s eyes.
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