Three Democratic senators presented a bill on Friday that seeks to provide $ 2,000 per month during the pandemic of the coronavirus to every American whose annual income is less than $ 120,000.
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The Californian Kamala Harris He wrote on Twitter that he sponsors the proposal with Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey because “a one-time payment” is not enough, referring to the $ 1,200 for each American included in the $ 2.2 trillion bailout adopted in March.
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Today I’m introducing a bill with @BernieSanders and @EdMarkey to provide $ 2,000 monthly payments to people during — and for three months after — this crisis.
A one-time payment is not enough. https://t.co/YBHTxMbZ3D
– Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 8, 2020
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The bill It wants the federal government to pay $ 4,000 a month to couples who file taxes as a couple, plus $ 2,000 for each child, up to a maximum of three.
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The payments would be retroactive from March and would last up to three months after the Health Department has declared that the public health emergency has ended.
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Senators introduced their bill the same day the Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate soared to 15% in April.
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Sanders called the statistic “catastrophic” and wrote that “we need to keep every employee on the payroll and guarantee their wages, and provide $ 2,000 a month to every person in the United States for the duration of the pandemic. Period.”
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This is catastrophic. We need to keep every employee on their payroll and guarantee their wages, and provide $ 2,000 a month to everyone in America for the duration of the pandemic. Period. https://t.co/52JjLOtdX3
– Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) May 8, 2020
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Also proposing the author, Ed Markey, noted that “recurring and direct monthly payments to all people – including their children – will protect and empower the most vulnerable during this crisis, especially immigrants, low-income families, and the gig economy. “
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The three senators presented their bill while the president of the lower house Nancy Pelosi, and the head of the Democratic minority in the Senate Chuck schumer They fine-tune an ambitious proposal to give another multi-million dollar infusion to the American economy.
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Congress has already committed nearly $ 3 trillion to rescue the economy in the past two months.
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The economic devastation caused by the coronavirus is not limited to the United States. The idea of universal income is also aired on the old continent.
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The British Studies Center Adam Smith Institute recently published arguments for and against universal basic income:
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Spain, Italy and Portugal refine a proposal for the European Union (EU) complement financial aid with the goal that citizens can receive a minimum threshold of decent income every month, according to the newspaper 20 minutes.
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The other 24 EU member states will have to negotiate the proposal, the percentage of income that each country would assume and that which Brussels would assume.
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That idea of Andrew Yang
The universal payment proposal has perhaps gained renewed force, but it is not the first to transcend the American political debate.
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Democratic presidential pre-candidate Andrew Yang got a considerable amount of attention thanks to proposal of paying $ 12,000 a year to every American over the age of 18.
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According to Yang, such a measure would mitigate the loss of jobs that automation of production systems and artificial intelligence will generate in the coming years.
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Just as it has advocates, universal income also has detractors.
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Robert Greenstein, of the Center on Budget and Policy PrioritiesHe argued that the chances of the United States adopting a universal basic income are remote because its cost would require raising tax collection to record highs.
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Greeinstein indicated that a basic income of $ 10,000 a year for 300 million Americans would imply a cost of at least $ 30 billion after a decade.
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The expert indicated that this amount represents more than 75% of the federal budget and equals its tax collection.
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