SPRINGFIELD, Ill. � Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly Monday night to give Americans $2,000 checks for coronavirus relief. This came less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package. Trump suggested everyone should receive $2,000 checks before approving the bill for $600 payments late Sunday night.
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) says he’s glad President Trump signed the relief plan to avoid a government shutdown. Davis emphasized the bill was negotiated by Trump’s team along with a bipartisan approach from both chambers.
The plan included $300 per week in unemployment insurance and $25 billion for rental assistance with a one-month extension of the federal moratorium on evictions. However, the $600 payments stuck out as a red flag for many lawmakers. Davis and over 40 other Republicans joined Democrats supporting the $2,000 plan. Still, the Central Illinois native said he would rather see targeted relief for people who need it the most.
“If we were to give $2,000 to every single American, as Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi want us to do, we could easily forgive the entire year of taxes for everyone who’s employed in the United States. But, I would like to see the relief go to those who need it, those who are out of work,� Davis added.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wants Trump to “act on his words� and encourage Senate Republicans to support the $2,000 payments.
“We need that money. People are desperate,� Schumer said Monday. “They need the help.�
Gov. JB Pritzker shared his thoughts on Twitter after the House passed the $2,000 plan. He encouraged Senate Republicans to support the proposal when they vote Tuesday.
Unemployment benefits
The proposal signed into law Sunday includes additional funds for unemployment claims alongside the $600 checks. However, Davis feels the Pritzker administration has to fulfill their part of the job as well.
“If they don’t administer the claims correctly, and they make sure that people who deserve benefits have to wait and wait, then it doesn’t matter what we do out here or how much we put towards extra benefits,� Davis said.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security is waiting for guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor to implement new changes to benefit programs. However, the state can’t send out unemployment payments this week since Trump waited to sign the proposal until Sunday night.
“The Department will do everything in its capacity to ensure claimants experience as seamless a transition as possible given that this new law contains changes to existing programs that all states must now work to implement,� said IDES Acting Director Kristin Richards.
Davis says the best option is getting people back to work rather than keeping businesses closed.
“We are on the verge of getting beyond this pandemic. Vaccines are out into our most vulnerable populations,� Davis said. “We need to look beyond closures and shutdowns that are coming from the state government in Illinois.�
