2022 Stimulus Check- Facts vs Fiction
One of this week’s most popular stories isn’t true. Despite being widely circulated on social media, it’s fake. Here are the facts:
THE CLAIM: Americans will receive stimulus checks in February 2022 from the Internal Revenue Service.
Congress has not approved any plans to issue another round of nationwide stimulus checks, even though some states have implemented their own stimulus programs for their own residents. An IRS representative confirmed that in total there have been three rounds of economic impact payments.
Several posts that circulated widely on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube this week led people to believe that a fourth round of stimulus checks would arrive this month. There were posts claiming that $2,000 checks would be deposited nationwide on Feb. 9, while blog headlines suggested many Americans may soon be eligible for relief of $1,400 in the coming weeks.
Three rounds of stimulus checks were sent. A maximum of $1,200 per person in March 2020, $600 per person in December 2020, and $1,400 per person in March 2021. Congress, which has to approve any new federal stimulus spending, hasn’t approved another round of payments from the federal government.
All payments have already been made, according to IRS spokesman Anthony Burke. Activists want more direct payments from the federal government.
Earlier this year, 21 Democratic senators called on President Joe Biden to incorporate recurring payments into his “Build Back Better” economic plan. There were fierce debates on each side. As of this publishing, there are no plans for any further stimulus checks.