Second Stimulus Checks May Be Higher Than $1,200

President Trump Speaks At Double Eagle Energy Rig In Midland, Texas — President Donald Trump in Midland, Texas (Photo by Montinique Monroe/Getty Images)

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President Donald Trump said today that second stimulus checks may be higher than $1,200.

Here’s what you need to know.

Second Stimulus Checks

On a trip to West Texas today, Trump spoke exclusively with Katie Orth of WMID in Midland. During the interview, Orth asked Trump whether $1,200 is enough for a second stimulus check. Here is how Trump responded:

“Katie Orth: Is $1,200 enough?

President Trump: We’re going to see. It may go higher than that actually.

Katie Orth: Where would you like to see it at?

President Trump: I’d like to see it be very high because I love the people. I want the people to get it, you know. The economy is going to come back. We just had tremendous job numbers as you know it was just announced. We had great retail sales numbers, so this is all coming back. We had the greatest economy we’ve ever had and we had to close it up because you know we had to do it. We saved millions of lives by doing that, but now we’re bringing it back and now it’s going to come back. We gotta take care of the people in the meantime.”

Will the second stimulus check be more than $1,200?

Trump has made it clear previously that he wants a second stimulus check that is larger than the Democrats proposed. In the Heroes Act — the $3 trillion stimulus package that House Democrats passed — the second stimulus check is $1,200. This implies that Trump wants a second stimulus check that is more than $1,200. Whether this means that the second stimulus check eventually may be more than $1,200, or if Trump wants it more than $1,200, or both, is unclear. On Monday, Senate Republicans announced the Heals Act (Health, Economic Assistance Liability Protection & Schools Act), a ~$1 trillion stimulus package proposal as a follow up to the Cares Act and a response to the Heroes Act. While Senate Republicans included a second stimulus check in the Heals Act, the second stimulus check is proposed as $1,200. This is the same amount that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed as well, and the eligibility criteria for the second stimulus check are the same as the first stimulus check in the Cares Act.

Will Senate Republicans increase the size of the second stimulus check? There isn’t any indication that this will happen, although proposals and numbers may change in the coming weeks as Congress mulls the latest stimulus package proposal. In the Heroes Act, Democrats also introduced a $1,200 second stimulus check. If the amount of the second stimulus check is increased above $1,200, it would increase the overall cost of the Heals Act, which some conservative Senate Republicans want to avoid, unless Senate Republicans cut other programs from the proposed stimulus package. Currently, Republicans and Democrats —who are following this key stimulus timeline — may agree on a second stimulus check, but they are $2 trillion apart on their respective stimulus packages. According to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), about half of Republicans may vote against the Republican stimulus package.