Lots Of Money Headed To Pennsylvania, As White House Official Says Pres. Biden Kept Promise
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan on Thursday afternoon, and now Americans are trying to figure out what it means for their wallets and communities.
Most Americans will get a check for $1,400 and that includes your dependent children, even the older ones who are in college. That represents about 10.9 million Pennsylvanians, about 85 percent of the state.
And if you care for an older parent and claim them as dependents, you will get $1,400 for them, too. If you're expecting a baby, as long as she or he is born in 2021, you will get another $1,400 for the baby.
Of course, it's based on your income -- $75,000 and under for single taxpayers and $150,000 for couples.
WATCH: Jon Delano Reports
And it's your most recent tax return that counts. If you haven't filed your 2020 return yet, the IRS will use your 2019 return.
If it turns out later that you made too much money in 2020 to qualify, you can keep the money the IRS sent you.
Federal unemployment benefits were set to expire this Sunday, but this bill extends the $300 per week benefit -- on top of state unemployment -- through Sept. 6, and that includes the self-employed, gig workers, and part-timers who don't get state unemployment compensation help.
A senior White House official told KDKA political editor Jon Delano that President Biden is delivering on a promise.
"He was saying we're going to get you help. He was saying we have to give relief to the American people. That's what the American Rescue Plan does. It gives that help," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Jean-Pierre says it's more than just dollars in the pockets of Americans -- it's about vaccines to end this pandemic.
"There's also going to be money for vaccination programs so that we can get those doses into the arms of the American people," said Jean-Pierre.
WATCH: More With White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
She said it's also about the urgency of reopening every school for in-person learning.
"What this means when you think particularly about Pennsylvania, when you think about the K through 12, opening up schools safely, there's going to be more than $5 billion for Pennsylvania to do that," Jean-Pirre said.
For many families, this pandemic has been challenging and costly, which is why there is now an increased -- and somewhat complicated to understand -- child tax credit available to the families of 2.3 million Pennsylvania children.
"This additional funding for the child tax credit -- $1,600 per child – is going to be tremendously helpful," Jean-Pierre said.
Jean-Pierre said the White House will be bringing on a coordinator to explain how families and individuals can access programs like this child tax credit. As for the stimulus checks, Jean-Pierre says some might get in your bank accounts this weekend.
