Press Releases

Los Angeles – Today, Congressman Jimmy Gomez announced his support for the Emergency Money for the People Act, legislation to provide reoccurring cash payments for hard-working Americans who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Emergency Money for the People Act expands relief to more Americans and includes a $2,000 monthly payment to those who qualify until employment returns to pre-COVID-19 levels. It also fixes a bug in the CARES Act to ensure college students and adults with disabilities can still receive the payments even if claimed as a dependent. The Emergency Money for the People Act additionally recognizes that not everyone has a bank or a home address to receive a check –  so it allows individuals to get this money through direct deposit, check, pre-paid debit card, or mobile money platforms such as Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal.

“Since the beginning of this global pandemic, House Democrats have acted quickly to pass emergency legislation like the CARES Act to send direct cash assistance to the American people,” said Congressman Jimmy Gomez. “Yet, as the scope and severity of the COVID-19 crisis grew, Senate Republicans and Donald Trump failed to act, turning their backs to the millions of hard-working Americans who risked being evicted from their homes, losing their small businesses, or going hungry. And while a one-time $1,200 payment was a good start, our constituents need continued financial support from the federal government to make it through this national health emergency. That’s why I am a cosponsor of the Emergency Money for the People Act to send Americans recurring monthly $2,000 payments during this unprecedented time.”

Under the Emergency Money for the People Act, monthly cash assistance payments would be guaranteed for at least six months and would continue until the employment to population ratio for people ages 16 and older is above 60%. These payments would not count as income in order to protect eligibility for any of the income-based state or federal government assistance programs. 

Eligibility:

• Every American adult age 16 and older making less than $130,000 annually would receive at least $2,000 per month.
  
• Married couples earning less than $260,000 would receive at least $4,000 per month.
  
• Qualifying families with children will receive an additional $500 per child – families will receive funds for up to three children. For example, a married couple making under $260K with 3 kids would receive $5,500 per month.
  
• Those who had no earnings, were unemployed, or are currently unemployed would also be eligible.
  
• Those who were not eligible in 2019 or 2018 but would be eligible in 2020, could submit at least two consecutive months of paychecks to verify income eligibility.
  
• The Emergency Money for the People Act also expands the program to millions more Americans who were excluded from the CARES cash rebates – such as college students and adults with disabilities who are still claimed as a dependent. The individual will receive the payment and their parent or guardian will receive the dependent credit.

The Emergency Money for the People Act has been introduced by Rep. Ryan and Rep. Khanna as well as the following Original Co-sponsors: Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Judy Chu (CA-27), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Mike Doyle (PA-18), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Eliot L. Engel (NY-16), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Joe Neguse (CO-2), Mary, Gay Scanlon (PA-5), Darren Soto (FL-9), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Nydia Velázquez (NY-7), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Grace Meng (NY- 6), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), and Barbara Lee (CA-13).