Stimulus check 2 still possible this year — what you need to know

stimulus check
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Stimulus check 2, or a second round of $1,200 payments to eligible Americans, could be included in an upcoming coronavirus relief package. When that package will ultimately be passed remains unclear.

Weeks of negotiations filled with mixed messaging and public stalemates have given those waiting for another stimulus check little hope. But even with the presidential election less than a week away, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) is still pushing for a deal.

According to The Hill, on Thursday (Oct. 29) Pelosi wrote a letter to the White House urging its top stimulus-bill negotiator to maintain talks. 

“Your responses are critical for our negotiations to continue," Pelosi wrote to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. 

It appears Pelosi isn't hesitating on behalf of the election to support a bipartisan stimulus bill. She's asking that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) do the same.

"The President’s words that ‘after the election, we will get the best stimulus package you have ever seen’ only have meaning if he can get [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell to take his hand off the pause button and get Senate Republican Chairmen moving toward agreement with their House counterparts,” Pelosi wrote.

McConnell is taking cues from President Trump, who has settled on waiting until the election has passed for a stimulus package. Previously, the President had pushed for a relief bill to land on his desk before Nov. 3.

Confirming his current stance, on Tuesday President Trump said, "After the election, we’ll get the best stimulus package you’ve ever seen."

There are complications to passing legislation during the lame-duck session, although for those in need of relief, knowing a bill could happen before February if former Vice President Joe Biden wins might be good news.

Second stimulus check date: Here's the new timeline

Until now, it was believed that if President Trump is re-elected, then a stimulus bill could come sometime in November. With a second term secured, Trump could tout the bill as an early success. 

But if former Vice President Biden is elected, we might not see a stimulus package until February. The lame-duck period would prove difficult for passing bipartisan legislation. Pelosi's expressed interest in agreeing on another stimulus package soon, no matter the result of the election, may be a silver lining for those waiting on relief. 

Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She covers smartwatches, TVs and audio devices, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.