Press Releases

As negotiations over the next COVID-19 relief package continue, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) has joined more than 100 of her colleagues in urging Congressional leadership not to strip survival checks from millions of people who utilize these checks to help their family withstand this devastating crisis. The letter’s 104 signers represent a geographically and ideologically diverse section of the Democratic caucus.

“For the millions of people nationwide who are unemployed, economic impact payments are survival checks. Indeed, they may be the only form of relief that people receive, in particular among communities of color that face barriers to obtain assistance. Narrowing eligibility requirements despite continued bipartisan support would risk providing struggling families and an economy in turmoil with too little support. We must ensure robust access to these survival checks to ensure an equitable and robust economic recovery for those individuals affected and the families that depend on them,” the lawmakers wrote. “Reducing eligibility of economic impact payments would exclude many people from crucial, much-needed relief. Economic impact payments would likely use 2019 tax data to measure an individual’s income. However, this data does not reflect the fact that millions of people lost their jobs in 2020, due to COVID-19—the very condition that necessitates survival checks. In addition, millions more suffered reduction in hours or pay, experienced contracts being canceled, or lost a business. Data from people who filed for unemployment shows that more than 20 percent of those earning between $50,000 and $70,000 were food insecure. This is a 16 percent increase from 2019 and explains why food banks across the country are struggling to serve communities.”

The full text of the letter can be found here.

Pingree has repeatedly joined calls for Congress to provide robust stimulus checks during this crisis. In January, she joined 56 members of Congress in writing to President Biden urging the inclusion of recurring cash payments to the American people for the duration of the pandemic. In December, she joined 58 Members of Congress in pushing for stimulus checks in Congress’ next COVID relief package. Pingree supported the increase of December’s stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 and voted for the House’s standalone bill to increase payments accordingly. 

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