Second Stimulus Check Will Be More Than $1,200, President Says

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President Trump has indicated that the second stimulus check to Americans will be more than $1,200. “I want the money getting to people to be larger, so they can spend it,” Trump said.

In an interview with Fox Business this week, the President indicated that he was highly supportive of a second stimulus payment to Americans, but was still ironing out the details. “I do support [a second stimulus check], but it has to be done properly, and I support larger numbers than the Democrats,” Trump said.

“I want the money getting to people to be larger, so they can spend it,” the President continued from the White House grounds. “I want the money to get there quickly, in a non-complicated fashion.”

Just recently, House Democrats passed the Heroes Act, which called for a second stimulus check of $1,200 with greater sums awarded to families and children. Additionally, the income thresholds for receiving those checks were relaxed.  At the time, Senate Republicans decried the bill as unworkable and excessive, though Trump now appears willing to go beyond the $1,200 figure.

That’s good news for Americans struggling to make ends meet, whether musicians, mechanics, or medics. But Trump pointed to a serious problem: many laid-off Americans have declined to return to work because their government benefits exceeded their previous salaries.

“We had something where it gave you a disincentive to work last time — and there was still money going to people and helping people, and I was all for that, but I want to create a very great incentive to work,” Trump said. “So we’re working on that, and I’m sure we’ll all come together.”

That raised the topic of additional unemployment benefits from the federal government, though Trump was vague on that aspect of the stimulus.

“It was an incentive not to go to work,” Trump continued. “You’d make more money if you don’t go to work. That’s not what this country is all about. And people didn’t want that — they want to go to work, but it didn’t make sense because they made more money if they didn’t. And we had some of that, so we don’t want that — we want to create a tremendous incentive for people to want to go back to work.”

Specifically, the federal government has boosted state-based unemployment checks by $600 per week, though that is slated to discontinue by the end of July. Now, with employment levels roaring back and the unemployment rate at around 11%, a federal booster check may be unnecessary.

“We’re going to get together and make a determination, but it’s going to be a good number, a substantial number,” Trump stated.

“People are going to be very happy.”