House Democrats dismiss efforts to scale back eligibility for $1,400 stimulus checks

House Democrats released a draft of stimulus legislation on Monday evening.
It kept the stimulus check thresholds put forward in the Biden rescue package, a dismissal of a push from some Democrats to restrict who can get a full check.
Democrats in the House are racing to put the Biden stimulus plan for a floor vote by the end of the month.
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House Democrats released a stimulus plan to maintain the income limit for stimulus checks at $75,000 for individual taxpayers and $150,000 for couples, dismissing an attempt from some Senate Democrats to sharply limit who can receive a direct payment.

Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee put forward the proposal, which may still undergo more changes.

"Our nation is struggling, the virus is still not contained, and the American people are counting on Congress to meet this moment with bold, immediate action," Neal said in a statement.

But it's a sign that momentum is gathering behind Democrats pressing to keep the existing income thresholds that President Joe Biden laid out in his $1.9 trillion relief package.

The proposal would tighten eligibility for individual taxpayers making more than $75,000 with a quicker phase-out. Joint taxpayers making $150,000 are eligible for direct payments, and it's capped for higher-earning joint-filers making above $200,000.

The plan includes the $1,400 checks - a key component of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan - to bolster the initial $600 direct payments previously approved by Congress in December.

The news comes after some GOP lawmakers and moderate Democrats pushed for a plan setting the eligibility threshold at $50,000, which could exclude at least 29 million families.

This story will be updated.

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