New York City families will likely get federal stimulus payments in as little as two weeks should the House of Representatives pass this week the COVID-19 relief package that the Senate approved Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday.
Schumer was all smiles Monday during a press conference at his Manhattan office, where he laid out a timetable for the third round of stimulus checks before briefly commenting on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent sex scandal investigation.
Since becoming the new Senate Majority Leader, Schumer had promised to push for and pass a “robust basket of COVID rescue” to New York, providing $100 billion to families, workers, restaurants, and small businesses. Now he says that promise is coming to fruition following the Senate’s party-line vote Saturday approving the measure; not a single Republican crossed the aisle to support it, despite changes made to make the package more attractive to conservatives such as West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin.
“We Senate Democrats promised that if we took back the Senate we would get these checks to people. Mitch McConnell had blocked these checks for four days in a row when I went to the Senate floor and asked that we pass them. Now, he is no longer the Majority Leader. I am, and we promised people we would get the checks, and they are getting them,” Schumer said.
According to Schumer, eligible individuals who make up to $80,000 a year will be receiving a payment of $1,400, while couples who file taxes jointly and make no more than $160,000 will be finding a payment of $2,800 in their bank accounts.
The Senate Majority Leader said the payments would deliver immediate aid to families in need of extra cash amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and that it would arrive very quickly should the House, as expected, pass the bill this week, and send it off to President Joe Biden for his signature.
“We are here today on the continued theme that help is on the way for New York and America. One of the best ways we can help people is to get money in their pockets and that is what we are doing in the bill that we just passed this weekend,” Schumer said.
He then broke down the dispersal of payments.
About $22 billion in checks will be sent to New York State residents, with $9 billion will be distributed across New York City. Approximately 645,000 households the Bronx will receive $1.6 billion in checks, Brooklyn has 1.1 million households and will be given $2.9 billion, Queens contains 1 million households and will disperse $2.5 billion, Manhattan has 765,000 households and will receive 1.8 billion, and Staten Island with 220,000 households will obtain $550,000 in checks.
“Again within about two weeks, these checks will arrive. Not months, not years, not wait for your tax returns back next January. Right away,” Schumer assured.
Schumer also briefly addressed Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment allegations.
“The allegations from each of these women are serious, troubling, and have to be listened to. I’ve always believed that sexual harassment is unacceptable and should never be tolerated. I called for our Attorney General to do a full and thorough investigation. I have confidence that she will do that fill and thorough investigation. She will turn over every stone and not let any outside interference, political or otherwise occur. I have confidence in her investigation,” Schumer said, not adding any more to his answer other than his faith in James’ professionalism.
