Ossoff, Warnock push COVID-19 relief of $8.2k for average Georgia family of four
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer credited Sens. Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock and Georgia voters as the three Democrats outlined plans Thursday to provide average working families of four making $75,000 a total of $8,200 in federal relief under the latest COVID-19 aid package.
However, all of the relief may not be in the form of a direct payment. For example, a family of four making $75,000 a year with children ages 4 and 8 would receive up to $5,600 in direct payments and a $2,600 increase in benefits through an enhanced Child Tax Credit.
The details mirror the previously mentioned $1,400 payments to single taxpayers, $2,800 for joint filers and $1,400 per dependent. The latest relief package is expected to pass Congress in the coming weeks through a budget reconciliation process.
“Thanks to Sens. Warnock and Ossoff, this COVID bill will be bigger and bolder and bring significantly more help to Georgians and Americans,” Schumer said during the Thursday news conference. “They have been pushing me as (Senate Majority Leader) to get these things done.”
President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief proposal includes several other provisions that would send money to the state, according to a news release from Ossoff’s office. Some of them include:
- Nearly $2 billion to Georgia over two years if the state were to expand Medicaid. The money would cover the program’s expansion in the state, Warnock told reporters.
- An estimated $4.4 billion in emergency relief for schools to safely reopen across the state. The funds could be used for COVID-related expenses and other instructional needs.
Roughly $1.2 billion in direct grants to Georgia institutions through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. Nationwide, historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions would receive a 7.5% share of the total funds.
- More than $200 million in new homeowner assistance fund, which would help low to moderate-income families pay their mortgage and utility bills.
“The people of Georgia are the ones who helped to make this robust relief possible. In a real sense, they stood up not only for their state but for the country. And now it’s up to the Congress to deliver,” Warnock said.
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 2:07 PM.