Biden says he’s open to negotiating income limits for stimulus checks

President Biden said Monday that he’s open to negotiating the income limits for a new round of stimulus payments as he seeks to enact a coronavirus relief package early in his presidency.

“This is all a bit of a moving target in terms of the precision with which this goes,” he said at an event where he signed an executive order aimed at increasing federal procurement of American-made goods.

Biden earlier this month released a $1.9 trillion relief proposal that included direct payments of $1,400 per person. He said he included that item in his proposed package because it has bipartisan support and because he thought its inclusion could increase the odds of his proposal passing.

However, some lawmakers have expressed concerns that the payments might not be targeted enough to those most in need and could go to some high-income families.

Biden’s proposal did not specify income limits, but legislation that provided for previous rounds of direct payments authorized the full amounts for individuals with incomes of up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes of up to $150,000. The payment amounts were then gradually reduced for households above those thresholds.

Biden said he’s willing to discuss what the income eligibility requirements should be in a new bill.

“There’s legitimate reason for people to say, ‘Do you have the lines drawn the exact right way? Should it go to anybody making over X number of dollars or Y?” he said. “I’m open to negotiate those things.”