An online petition for monthly stimulus checks of $2,000 for the duration of the pandemic is less than 45,000 signatures away from its goal of 3 million.
But following a summer surge in support amid a deadly wave of COVID-19 driven by the Delta variant, momentum has waned for the campaign in the final stretch as cases and deaths continue to fall across the country.
The Change.org petition, launched by Stephanie Bonin, a restaurant owner in Denver, calls for the U.S. House and Senate to pass legislation that would provide a "$2,000 payment for adults and $1,000 payment for kids immediately and continuing regular checks for the duration of the crisis."
The petition has drawn more than 2,956,600 signatures as of Saturday, with only about 29,000 new supporters in the past month and 5,000 in the past week. It will become one of Change.org's most-signed petitions if it reaches its goal of 3 million signatures.
During the summer Delta wave, the campaign gained significant momentum, reaching peaks of over 100,000 new supporters in a week as families struggled to weather the economic fallout of the pandemic.
As that campaign inches toward its 3 million benchmark, about 75,000 people have signed another petition demanding a one-time stimulus check for Social Security recipients amid rising inflation.
Launched by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), the movement is asking Congress to deliver "emergency stimulus" to assist retirees, disabled adults, widows and widowers in coping with the "unprecedented" inflation year.
In a letter to congressional lawmakers, the group urged members of the House and Senate to provide an extra $1,4000 in non-taxable income to Social Security recipients.
Data collected by the group found an estimated 6.2 percent increase to the Social Security cost of living in 2022, which greatly exceeds this year's 1.3 percent increase to benefits.
More than 80 congressional Democrats and 150 economists—including Jason Furman, former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under the Obama administration—have also urged President Joe Biden to support recurring stimulus checks this year.
Yet, their pressure never swayed the president. With the recent passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, Democratic leaders and the White House have now pivoted to advancing a larger social spending bill that's key to Biden's agenda. Neither of the bills contain any cash payments, and the Biden administration has signaled that stimulus is no longer a priority.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
