Lawmakers reacted very quickly when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. During the Trump administration, there were two stimulus checks that were authorized on a bipartisan basis. The Biden administration provided a third check in March 2021, which gave $1,400 to every eligible adult and dependent.
Many Americans, however, feel that they need more help. The high demand for yet another stimulus check is shown by a Change.org petition that has now topped more than 3 million signatures.
Millions of Americans are calling for a fourth stimulus check
The Change.org petition was first started by Stephanie, a Denver, CO restaurant owner that wrote, “I am calling on Congress to help support American families with a $2,000 payment for each adult and a $1,000 payment for each kid immediately and sending regular checks for as long as the crisis is around.”
Even though the petition has been online for well over a year, people throughout the United States have continued to put their signatures on it. In fact, as of January 17, 2022, there was 3,017,183 people who had added their names to it. This includes Americans from every state in the U.S.
A recent update to the petition has explained some of the reasons why it is still receiving so much support. The update reads, “Our nation is still struggling today. The recovery has not reached most Americans — the actual unemployment rate for lower-wage workers is above 20% and a lot of people face big debts from the past year for things like rent, utilities and childcare. These are all good reasons that checks should target Americans who are still having a hard time today and that Congress should learn from the last year.”
Will lawmakers listen?
With as many signatures as it has, the petition that’s requesting a fourth stimulus check is one of the most popular on the Change.org platform. It is not only unusual for a petition to get so many signatures, but it is also uncommon for one to receive sustained attention for as long as it has. Yet, Americans throughout the country continue to sign it to try and make their voices be heard.
Despite the clear fact that there is high demand for another payment, lawmakers are still unlikely to move forward check number four, much less with future monthly payments as requested.
See, the Republicans would likely choose to filibuster any bill that would provide a fourth check or that authorizes ongoing payments as the petition requests.
This means that the millions of Americans calling for additional stimulus relief will most likely be out of luck and will also find that they won’t get this kind of help from Congress in 2022.
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