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- In April 2020, a coronavirus stimulus check of $1,200 was sent to most American adults.
- Eight months later, Republicans and Democrats in Congress agreed on a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill that would send out another stimulus check, this time worth $600.
- President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the checks should be worth much more: $2,000. According to Insider polling, just a third of Trump-voting respondents agreed and said the checks should be $2,000 or larger.
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After Republicans and Democrats in Congress approved of a $900 billion coronavirus stimulus bill on Sunday that includes a $600 stimulus check – half the amount of the first stimulus check which was sent out in April – President Donald Trump surprised Congress and said the checks should be much larger: $2,000. His supporters agree.
Recent polling from Insider and SurveyMonkey showed that 72% of respondents who voted for Trump believe that the stimulus checks should be greater than $600. Conversely, one-in-ten Trump-voting respondents said the stimulus checks should be $0, or effectively no second stimulus check at all.
A further breakdown of responses from Trump voters are as follows:
- A third, 33%, agree with Trump and said the stimulus checks should amount to $2,000 or more.
- 70% said the stimulus checks should be $1,000 or greater.
- Only 20% said the stimulus checks should be less than $600.
- 10% said the stimulus checks should be $5,000 or more.
This analysis comes from a SurveyMonkey Audience poll taken on December 21. The poll collected 1,123 respondents who were asked about coronavirus holiday plans, the congressional stimulus package, plus a number of other questions. Of the respondents, 305 told Insider they voted for Trump, and 507 said they voted for Joe Biden.
Trump voters are not the only ones pushing for a larger stimulus check.
According to the same survey from Insider and SurveyMonkey, 86% of Biden voters said the stimulus checks should be greater than $600, 49% of Biden voters said the checks should be $2,000 or more, and 76% of all respondents said the stimulus checks should be $1,000 or larger.
Despite a push from the president to increase the size of the stimulus check, it is unclear if Congress will be able to come to an agreement for that amount. Following Trump’s decrial of the $600 check, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced on Twitter that an amendment had been drafted to increase the check’s amount. Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi attempted to increase the size of the check through a “unanimous consent” process on Thursday morning but was blocked by House Republicans.
Trump left the White House for his Florida Mar-a-Lago residence on Wednesday without signing the coronavirus relief bill or the omnibus bill to fund the military and government through 2021. According to Politico, the bills will be flown to Florida on Thursday.
SurveyMonkey Audience polls from a national sample balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are incentivized to complete surveys through charitable contributions. Generally speaking, digital polling tends to skew toward people with access to the internet. SurveyMonkey Audience doesn’t try to weight its sample based on race or income. Polling data collected 1,123 respondents on December 21. All polls carried approximately a 3 percentage point margin of error individually.
- Read more:
- Insider Poll: A $600 COVID-19 stimulus check is way too small, and most Americans think it should be over $1,500
- Insider Poll: After a tumultuous 2020 in a pandemic, the majority of Americans are changing how they celebrate the 2020 holiday season
- House Republicans block a Democratic attempt to advance $2,000 stimulus checks that Trump is pressing for
- Joe Biden laid out 4 priorities for another stimulus package once he takes office. But he’s up against Republicans who don’t want more relief spending.
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