Americans angry they may no longer qualify for $1,400 stimulus checks, say it feels like a ‘targeted attack’ on middle class

CNBC ^ | Mon, Feb 8 20214:42 PM EST | Alicia Adamczyk

[Zhang Fei]

Though she has kept her job as an executive assistant throughout the pandemic, Marie, who asked to be identified by her middle name to protect her privacy, says her budget has still been stretched thin.

The mother-of-two’s employer reduced her salary by 15%, she no longer picks up extra income as a part-time Uber driver due to safety concerns, and she had to pay for her son’s daycare to keep his spot despite the fact that he was at home with her at the beginning of the pandemic. She’s accrued around $4,000 in debt over the course of the pandemic and is currently two months late on daycare payments.

Now, with the news that Congress is considering lowering the income eligibility threshold for the third round of stimulus payments from $75,000 to $50,000 for individuals and from $150,000 for married couples to $100,000, Marie’s money worries are compounding. She is “terrified” that she will no longer qualify because she earned around $60,000 in 2019. (The Washington Post reported that heads of household earning up to $75,000 would still qualify for the full $1,400 payments under the new thresholds.)

“I was banking on that money,” says Marie, who lives in Maryland. “The fact that they’re changing it and setting this strict cutoff is totally unreasonable for anybody who lives in a high-cost-of-living area. It’s wrong.”

She is one of dozens of people who reached out to CNBC Make It to express frustration about the possible change to eligibility for the $1,400 payment. Many, like Marie, say Democrats would be reneging on their campaign promise to provide $2,000 in direct relief payments to struggling Americans if they send them to fewer people.

“Taking money away from people after you’ve promised it to them is not the way to start,” says Marie, referring

[Zhang Fei]

Pandemic aid was a potent lure for some middle income voters just above the median ($43,614):

	Top 1%	Top 5%	Top 10%	Top 25%	Top 50%	Bottom 50%	All Taxpayers
Number of Returns	1,443,179	7,215,893	14,431,787	36,079,467	72,158,933	72,158,933	144,317,866
Adjusted Gross Income ($ millions)	$2,420,025	$4,217,996	$5,511,117	$7,969,121	$10,221,814	$1,342,069	$11,563,883
Share of Total Adjusted Gross Income	20.9%	36.5%	47.7%	68.9%	88.4%	11.6%	100.0%
Income Taxes Paid ($ millions)	615,716	926,367	1,096,343	1,336,041	1,491,041	45,137	1,536,178
Share of Total Income Taxes Paid	40.1%	60.3%	71.4%	87.0%	97.1%	2.9%	100.0%
Income Split Point	540,009	217,913	151,935	87,044	43,614	43,614
Average Tax Rate	25.4%	22.0%	19.9%	16.8%	14.6%	3.4%	13.3%
Average Income Taxes Paid	$426,639	$128,379	$75,967	$37,031	$20,663	$626	$10,644

[KC_Lion]

(that is because it is a targeted attack on the middle class, the entire past year has been nothing but that guys....)

[Red Badger]

TO ALL THOSE USEFUL IDIOTS THAT VOTED FOR THE DEMS SENATE CANDIDATES IN ATLANTA AND ITS SUBURBS>>>>>>>>>>>...............$ U C K E R $ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!

[cuban leaf]

The government is going back to formula. They will only help you if you are already miserable and will stay miserable after they give you back your taxes.

Or, as Rush used to say, “give you just enough to keep you miserable.”

[Vermont Lt]

I am all about helping people in true need. None of these programs determine that.

The fact that households making six figures are “in need” in low cost of living areas (such as where I live) is simply absurd.

Americans are greedy, and jealous. And that will come back to haunt us.

We cannot all be the Kardashians. And who would want to be them?

[maddog55]

Biden / Harris..

Brought to you buy 80M Americans or more likely, 50M and 30M made up.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Just wondering how many disrespected middle class voters cast their lot with Sleepy Joe and the Slut?

"Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas."

[Mr. Mojo]

Every last thing the uniparty does is an assault on the middle class.

[setter]

MY wife and I never did get the first stimulus because we make too much money. yeah we are peed off . We pay all those darn high taxes.

[escapefromboston]

Haha shouldn’t have voted for the Dems or at least allow them to steal the election. Sorry suckers

[nevergore]

Great graphic! What year was that snapshot taken?

[kiryandil]

“Stolen ‘elections’ have consequences” - Joe Stolen, 2021

[Pontiac]

Many, like Marie, say Democrats would be reneging on their campaign promise to provide $2,000 in direct relief payments to struggling Americans if they send them to fewer people.

Hey lady. It is much more important to prop up the failing pension funds in California and New York than for you to be able to pay your bills and feed your kids.

So, shut up and go to a Soup Kitchen.

[kvanbrunt2]

MY wife and I never did get the first stimulus because we make too much money. yeah we are peed off . We pay all those darn high taxes.>>> I didn’t either and i retired last year (they used prior year tax filing) but i did get a credit on my income taxes. There was a question specific to the covid payment last year. Make sure you check it out. i use turbo tax.

[FlingWingFlyer]

The Xiden piggies need that money to give to all of the Hispanios climbing “the wall” to get across the border. Cellphones, new cars and alcohol are expensive.

[brownsfan]

Ha!!!!!!!!!!!

Sucked in by greed or need, and now they find out the rest of the story.

I laugh, I’m actually smiling.

[Responsibility2nd]

...and she had to pay for her son’s daycare to keep his spot despite the fact that he was at home with her at the beginning of the pandemic.

————————————————

Foolish and frivolous. This does not help her cause.

[Zhang Fei]

[Great graphic! What year was that snapshot taken?]

---

Data current as of 2018, from:

https://taxfoundation.org/publications/latest-federal-income-tax-data/

[HamiltonJay]

Already back tracked from that trial balloon..

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/08/house-democrats-plan-does-not-change-income-levels-for-1400-stimulus-checks.html

And lets be honest here, the GOP has been pushing for income limit lowering on these checks, far more than the Dems have been.

[dforest]

I tink this is more about what people were led to believe than it is about who gets it. Democrats lie. It is what they do. They lie and make promises and then they move the deck chairs. I would bet they will also blame the failure to deliver on the other side too.

I don’t think they give a rats azz about helping Americans in need. This package is disgusting and very little of it goes to helping Americans hurting from a pandemic. Most of it will go for feathering the nests of themselves and their fellow criminals and countries they wish to meddle in.