#More stimulus checks likely if Congress, WH make deal

Americans are likely to get another round of $1,200 coronavirus stimulus checks if Congress and the White House can reach a deal for a new pandemic spending package.

But that’s a big if, given the uncertain nature of negotiations between the House and the Trump administration as well as Senate Republicans’ opposition to a bill with a hefty price tag.

Both the White House and the Democrat-controlled House say they’re behind another set of $1,200 direct payments for most American taxpayers like those authorized under the massive CARES Act that was passed in March.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) included a second round of checks in the slimmed-down $2.2 trillion proposal she unveiled this week, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said they’re also part of the executive branch’s offer, which is reportedly worth $1.6 trillion.

“The good news is we have reached agreement that if there is a deal, there are direct payments similar to last time that are in the package,” Mnuchin said in a Wednesday interview with Fox Business Network after meeting with Pelosi.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) threw cold water on the stimulus talks Wednesday, calling Pelosi’s package “outlandish.” While the Senate’s stimulus proposal in July called for more $1,200 payments, it was only expected to cost about $1 trillion and McConnell has indicated he doesn’t want a bill that’s too expensive.

“We’re very, very far apart,” McConnell told reporters Wednesday.

If the second round of stimulus payments is similar to the first, there would be several limits to who is eligible for the money.

The CARES Act provided $1,200 to most individuals earning up to $75,000 a year or $150,000 for married couples. Taxpayers could also claim an extra $500 for each of their children.

But the payments were phased out for people with incomes higher than those amounts and cut off entirely for any individuals making more than $99,000 a year (or $198,000 for married couples).

The cash also wasn’t available to immigrants who are non-resident aliens, incarcerated people, anyone without a Social Security number, and individuals who could be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return.

With Post wires