by Solaiman Hassanin ‘23

As talks for a Covid stimulus deal continue (and fade away), many wonder the impact that a second stimulus will have on their life. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House, has put pressure on President Donald Trump to get Republicans to pass a new stimulus. 

“We could be very close.  So, as I say – as I said, we’re close enough to put pen to paper. But if this President isn’t going to talk to the Senate on this – we’re very different from the Senate,” recently commented Pelosi. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate Majority Leader, has blocked stimulus relief packages from the House and does not seem interested in any massive relief bill currently. The first stimulus came out back in April: a check of 1,200 dollars to adults, 500 dollars to every child. However,  anyone between the age of 17-24 years who did not independently file taxes from their parents in 2019  received nothing, not the $500, nor the $1,200. And as a second stimulus is negotiated, teens who haven’t been able to get jobs during covid restrictions might wonder if this time around things will be different for them. In a relief proposal of $2.2 trillion passed in the House but stalled from going to the Senate, there would be  500 dollars for any dependent, not just those under the age of 16. This proposal would cover those who were left out in the last stimulus. The 1.8 trillion White House proposal offers 1,000 dollars for dependents that are children, double the payment of the last stimulus while still keeping the demographics and recipients the same. Neither proposal will pass, with the Senate and the White House refusing the House bill, and the Speaker of the House refusing the White House bill. However, it is significant that there is consideration for extending payments to all dependants, as this will only increase the chances that it does become a reality.

As for anyone who pays their taxes independently, they will most definitely receive a stimulus payment, if passed. The pressure to pass a bill is massive, as more families struggle and see a tough road ahead of them. Although President Trump tweeted last week that he wanted the Senate to focus on the confirmation of Amy Coney Barret as a new Supreme Court Justice, he tweeted out a few days later that he wanted a bill, calling on Congress to go big. And going big may be needed for many American families, as according to the Labor Department, approximately 2.4 million people will soon have gone 27 weeks without a job, one of the reasons that many young adults, possibly seniors in high school, will want the final stimulus payment to include money for them, as it may go a long way towards helping a struggling family. 

Truly, whether young adults, adults, children, or any Americans receive payment or not comes down to Congress’s and the White House’s willingness to compromise and find common ground with their political opponents, but also their political allies. After all, it seems like the Republican White House and the Republican Senate are currently going through two different paths. The White House, the Senate Republicans, and the House Democrats will have to give up ground that they don’t want to give up in order for anyone to receive help through a stimulus. That is the big step that has not happened yet, and when it does, there is a chance older teenagers and young adults will get a piece of the pie.