Will Biden Bow To Pressure and Give You a Fourth Stimulus Check?

Just a fourth stimulus check could lift more than 7 million people out of poverty, according to an analysis from the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

But those pulling for more checks are facing considerable resistance. Here’s where things stand on whether you'll get another "stimmy" this year.

'Families shouldn't have to worry'

Millions of Americans are still in financial distress, with about 4 in 10 saying their income remains below its prepandemic levels, according to a recent survey from the credit bureau TransUnion.

Back in January, 56 House Democrats led by Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar sent Biden a letter urging him to consider recurring stimulus payments.

“We are experiencing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, with millions of Americans either unemployed, forced out of the workforce or facing a decline in hours and wages,” the letter said.

And at the end of March, 21 Democratic senators joined the chorus of voices calling for more payments. "Families shouldn’t have to worry about whether they’ll have enough money to pay for essentials in the months ahead," the senators wrote Biden in a separate letter.

Many households have used stimulus money to cover basic expenses, like groceries and rent, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics study of how last year's very first checks were spent.

Once those needs were met, some of the cash was used for saving and investing, the bureau found, or for other expenses that may have included buying affordable life insurance. Demand for those policies has surged during the pandemic.

New checks face major obstacles

Support for more stimulus checks is far from universal. Last month, the Democrats who control Congress struggled to push through Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID rescue package, which provided $1,400 stimulus checks and many other benefits.

The bill passed with simple majorities using a streamlined process that required no support from Republicans — who all voted no.

Even moderate members of the Democratic party weren’t in agreement about the need for the third round of payments, so there may not be enough political support for further stimulus checks.