A petition for a fourth stimulus check is close to reaching 3 million signatures.
The petition is titled “$2000/month to every American #moneyforthepeople #covid19”
This comes as the US economy claims to have been slowly recovering from the financial repercussions presented by the pandemic.
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However, so many Americans are still financially struggling.
The petition reads: “Our country is still deeply struggling. The recovery hasn’t reached many Americans – the true unemployment rate for low-wage workers is estimated at over 20% and many people face large debts from last year for things like utilities, rent and child care.
These are all reasons that checks need to be targeted to people who are still struggling and that Congress needs to learn from this past year. It took nine months for Congress to send a second stimulus check, and just moments to spend it.”
Read more: Fourth Stimulus Checks Yet-to-Arrive for Millions of Americans
The petition was started by Denver restaurant owner Stephanie Bonin.
Bonin addressed the petition to the US House of Representatives and the Senate. As of now, the Change.org website says that the petition is close to becoming one of their top signed on the site.
However, it seems as though it would take more than the millions of signatures on the site for government to address the crucial needs. Congress has expressed in the past that stimulus checks are no longer a priority as the Biden administration are moving towards other concerns.
Bonin said, “I am one of millions of Americans who fear for my financial future because of this coronavirus crisis. With businesses and schools closing across the country to control the spread of this virus, many people have already lost their jobs. Others are being forced to stay home.
This is catastrophic for working families like mine.”
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The petition is calling on Congress to support families with a $2,000 payment for adults and a $1,000 payment for kids immediately, and continuing regular checks for the duration of the crisis.
Otherwise, Bonin explains, laid-off workers, furloughed workers, the self-employed, and workers dealing with reduced hours will struggle to pay their rent or put food on the table.
“My husband and I own a restaurant in Denver and these past two weeks have been a blur. Our restaurant community is wrestling with seeing everything we all have worked so hard for irrevocably changed.” Bonin says about her business and her experience.
“Our hearts were breaking as we watched our staff divide the ingredients in our kitchen to bring to their homes: a dismal token for employees who worked tirelessly every day. Our talented and cherished team, some of whom have been with us since we opened our doors 15 years ago, are now without an income.”
Bonin says that like much of their employees, their own family have lost all of the income from their restaurant, and a lot of business owners and the self-employed can’t claim unemployment in America right now.
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However, she says that even for those who can claim unemployment, the maximum payments will not be enough for most people to continue paying their bills – and avoid slipping into poverty. Even successful small businesses can’t go months with their doors closed.
“We need immediate checks and recurring payments so that we can keep our heads above water. Congress needs to make sure that we won’t be left financially ruined for doing our part to keep the country healthy,” The petition writes.
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