Trump hints at second round of stimulus checks: ‘It’ll be very generous’

A second round of stimulus checks could be coming very soon, according to President Donald Trump.

On Monday, the president suggested he was open to another round of direct payments as the coronavirus crisis continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy. COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the nation, and more than 1, 500,000 Americans filed jobless claims in the last week, U.S. Department of Labor data show.

“We will be doing another stimulus package,” Trump told a Scripps TV reporter. “It will be very good. It’ll be very generous.”

However, he offered few details about when the payments might be expected or how much they will be.

“You’ll find out about it. You’ll find out,” Trump told the reporter Monday, though he hinted that the funds could be announced “over the next couple of weeks.”

Nothing is set in stone just yet, but a new round of payments is reportedly “part of something the economic team is studying,” a White House official told NBC News. The Washington Post reported that Trump has told aides he supports a second batch of stimulus checks for Americans — but “leading congressional Republicans and some senior White House officials remain skeptical of sending more checks.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also hinted at the possibility of a second payment, telling reporters in Ashland, Kentucky, last week that the funds would “prioritize investing in future generations” and provide “liability protection for essential workers,” The Herald-Dispatch reported.

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“Keep your eyes out for July,” the Republican senator said, according to the newspaper.

Rumblings about a new round of payments come nearly three months after Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a $2.2 trillion dollar bipartisan relief bill that provided $1,200 checks to individuals and families impacted by the pandemic, McClatchy News reported. It also provided $500 per each minor for families with children.

Those earning $75,000 or less were eligible for the payment, though millions of Americans said in May that they were still waiting on the federal payments.

House Democrats proposed expandingthat aid last month by passing the $3 trillion HEROES Act, which would provide another round of financial relief, according to NBC News. The bill would also offer $10,000 in student loan forgiveness and invest in colleges and universities.

McConnell and other Republicans have been reluctant to give out any more money, however, voicing little support for the Democrat-backed bill. Even a few Democrats have shown support for pumping the brakes on the new round of stimulus relief.

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“I’d like to take a look at all that aid we provided and get good economic information on the value for that, from the point of view of our economy but more importantly on fairness to people who are really hurt,” Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, told The Hill last month.

“I think the next round we’ve got to be more targeted to those who are really in need,” he added. “So I hope we can target this a little bit better to those who have been hit hard because of COVID-19.”