Sen. Ed Markey On Proposal For Monthly $2,000 Stimulus Checks During Pandemic

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., speaks during a town hall event on June 1, 2017, in Boston, to discuss health care, climate change, the opioid crisis and the investigation of Trump administration's ties to Russia.

Zoe Mathews is a producer for Boston Public Radio and the producer of The Scrum podcast.

May 08, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

Sens. Ed Markey, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris want to give Americans $2,000 a month during the coronavirus pandemic.

Markey joined Boston Public Radio on Friday, the same day the senators filed a bill detailing their stimulus proposal, which would provide the checks to anyone who makes up to $120,000.

"Our goal would be to basically deal with the reality that a single check is not sufficient for households that are struggling," Markey said.

The jobs report for April showed a record 20.5 million jobs lost, as unemployment rate spiked to the highest level since the Great Depression.

"By providing recurring payments, it's the most direct, the most efficient mechanism for delivering economic relief for those who are most vulnerable in this crisis, particuarly low income families, immigrant communities and our gig and service workers," Markey said. "We have to think big, we have to match our ambitions to the magnitude of the problem."