Biden’s $1.9T Relief Bill Offers Convicted Murderers Stimulus Checks

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Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark) slammed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that was passed by the Senate Democrats on Saturday as it listed off a number of convicted murderers who would be eligible to receive stimulus checks.

House Democrats planned to offer the final approval of the bill on Tuesday before sending it to President Biden’s desk. Included in the bill is the $1,400 stimulus checks for individuals who makes less than $75,000. 

However, Sen. Cotton slammed the bill as inmates are included among those who would be receiving the stimulus checks. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Cotton and Ted Cruz (R-TX)proposed an amendment on the floor to block stimulus checks to prisoners. The GOP Senators’ however failed on a party-line vote, with 49-50. S

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin argued that the children of prisoners’ could be affected if checks would be blocked for prisoners.

The response by Durbin was slammed by Cassidy by arguing that prisoners have all their expenses paid for basically by taxpayers.

Cassidy argued, “Prisoners have all their living and medical expenses paid for by the taxpayer, they don’t pay taxes, they don’t contribute to the tax base, they can’t be unemployed. Inmates are not economically impacted by Covid.”

Previously IRS tried to withhold stimulus checks from incarcerated individuals. But a court order forced them to offer the checks in October. 

There is no provision in the previous COVID-19 relief bills or the one that was passed last Saturday agaihnst inmates receiving stimulus checks. 

Cotton wrote on Twitter, “Dylann Roof murdered nine people. He’s on federal death row. He’ll be getting a $1,400 stimulus check as part of the Democrats’ ‘COVID relief’ bill.”

In a separate tweet, Cotton wrote, “Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Bomber, murdered three people and terrorized a city. He’ll be getting a $1,400 stimulus check as part of the Democrats’ ‘COVID relief’ bill.”

“Aaron Shamo was sentenced to life in prison for selling 1 million fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills to unsuspecting buyers,” Cotton wrote. “He’ll be getting a $1,400 stimulus check while in prison from the Democrats’ ‘COVID relief’ bill.”

There are approximately 1.4 million in prisoners all over the country.

After 27 hours of delays, wrangling, and debate, Democrats pushed through the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill in a party-life vote of 50-49. 

The bill is now heading back to the House for final approval of the bill before it lands on Biden’s desk for signature. Said bill would be Biden’s first major legislative victory. 

Other than the distribution of stimulus checks to prisoners, Democrats also reduced the weekly unemployment aid from $400 to $300 per week. They however extended the benefits up until September. 

Accoriding to nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Biden’s $1.9 Trillion coronavirus relief bill would add $1.863 trillion to the national deficit over 10 years. The bulk of the new spending $1.173 trillion happening in fiscal year 2021.

In 2020 fiscal year, the federal government ran an annual deficit of $3.1 trillion, more than triple the deficit than the previous years, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. The total national debt now sits at $28 trillion.

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