AOC urges public to tell Congress that one-time $600 stimulus checks are not enough

AOC — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Monday, August 24, 2020.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/Pool

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, is urging people to speak out if they think $600 is not enough for another round of stimulus checks.
"[I]f you don't want your member to vote for a $600 deal, you really need to tell them that," the lawmaker tweeted.
In March, the first COVID-19 stimulus package included $1,200 checks for US adults and a $600-per-week boost in unemployment benefits.
In May, House Democrats passed stimulus legislation that would have provided $1,200 stimulus checks, but Republicans in the Senate balked at the cost.
Current proposals call for checks somewhere between $600 and $900.
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Is a $600 stimulus check enough to improve your life? If not, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is urging you to tell Congress.

On Twitter, the progressive Democrat noted that the latest COVID-19 relief packages being discussed in the Senate propose spending far less than the $1,200-per-adult that was included in the first round of stimulus.

As Business Insider reported, the latest bipartisan proposal in the US Senate would offer $600 stimulus checks - and only at the expense of aid for state and local governments. The focus on checks has also overshadowed aid for the unemployed, who would see a temporary $300-a-week increase in benefits.

In March, the first COVID-19 stimulus package included $1,200 checks for US adults and a temporary, $600-per-week boost in unemployment benefits. And in May, a second round of stimulus passed by House Democrats called for both benefits to be reupped - only for both figures to be slashed in half by the Senate, where Republicans have balked at the cost.

"[I]f you don't want your member to vote for a $600 deal, you really need to tell them that," Ocasio-Cortez said. "Don't think 'oh I voted for a Dem, we'll be fine.' No. If there's an amount that's too little, or any other red line that you want them to vote NO on, then you need to tell them that."

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