Trump fascists.
I have been told by several people that it isn’t right for me to call
all of these people now engaged in “protests” in Michigan, Wisconsin,
Kentucky, Texas and across the country “gun-toting fascists.”
People tell me some of these people are just “confused people.”
This might be, but so were the Germans who formed fascist gangs which eventually brought Hitler to power... and we know how this ended up.
People tell me some of these people are just “confused people.”
This might be, but so were the Germans who formed fascist gangs which eventually brought Hitler to power... and we know how this ended up.
Let’s not make excuses for these fascist bastards.
House Democrats have introduced legislation that would expand the federal government’s coronavirus relief cash payments to $2,000 a month until the economy recovers
(Please note: per suggestions I have added a few things; I welcome further suggestions and discussion)
I’m going to keep re-posting (I call this digital leafleting and you can help leaflet [share]) this from time to time because people keep asking if they can share it... you can share anything you want from my page:
Republicans and Democrats in Congress backed and bribed by Wall Street are making the decisions affecting working people and working class families without any input from us; this is in no way acceptable. We must let them know by way of asserting ourselves that this is unacceptable. As working people we are entitled to a seat at the decision-making table- this is our lives we are talking about.
It is not right or just or acceptable in any way, shape or form that only our employers have a seat at the decision-making table.
How do we get a seat at the decision-making table when we are arrogantly excluded from the process by politicians who have the unmitigated gall to help our Wall Street employers, bankers and vulture capitalists before helping those of us who create the wealth? We need to raise so much hell until we get a seat at the decision-making table.
Think about this:
Usually a government professing to be democratic will invite all concerned and affected parties to fully articulate their problems through a series of hearings held in locations convenient for many people to attend.
Conclusion:
That this has not been done because the wealthy in power would be embarrassed to hear that they have been selfishly hoarding for themselves the wealth we have created and they don’t want this very fundamental and basic injustice of the capitalist system to be exposed lest they be forced to turn this wealth over for the common good of all in order to prevent mass misery and suffering of those of us who have created this wealth.
We must never forget that it is we, the working class with no small amount of help from Mother Nature who create ALL wealth and we must constantly remind these politicians of this because they would rather all of this not be publicly discussed...
Out of sight is out of mind!
As workers we must never forget this and we must assert our views and our demands for justice...
Right now at this moment of crisis with the capitalist economic system in a state of collapse exacerbated by this coronavirus pandemic we must insist our livelihoods and our rights be protected...
First and foremost this requires every adult be provided by the government with two-thousand dollars a month and every child in the family be provided for with five-hundred dollars a month at least as long as this crisis continues... and, by rights, justice requires this be made permanent.
Let us state in no uncertain terms that we as working people bear no responsibility for the economic crisis or the coronavirus crisis since we have had no seat at the decision-making table when it comes to economic policy or health care policy and this has to change and it needs to change now in order to avoid mass suffering and despair... democracy and the most basic and fundamental rights require no less... so let’s have an end to this hypocrisy of the wealthy few making all the decisions in this country.
Any thinking person, except for the most ethically and politically corrupt, can see and understand there is something drastically wrong with denying the majority of the people- those of us who create ALL the wealth- a seat at the decision-making table.
We also need legislation to be advanced for a National Public Health Care System...
Publicly funded.
Publicly administered.
Publicly delivered...
Based on the model of public education.
We should probably be thinking in terms of building some kind of huge massive “people’s lobby” in order for us (working people) to become participants in the decision-making process.
We should be thinking in terms of a huge Peace Dividend to pay for it all along with a very hefty progressive tax on the rich.
As for the National Public Health Care System, the present Medicare payroll tax will more than pay for this.
Maybe we should consider a really novel idea.
Something like a “We the People” kind of government?
Perhaps we need some kind of “people’s lobby” to push this through to reality:
https://www.facebook.com/100002118322023/posts/3139513512795895/
Not that I want to be accused of inciting revolution like Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson did.
I’m going to keep re-posting (I call this digital leafleting and you can help leaflet [share]) this from time to time because people keep asking if they can share it... you can share anything you want from my page:
Republicans and Democrats in Congress backed and bribed by Wall Street are making the decisions affecting working people and working class families without any input from us; this is in no way acceptable. We must let them know by way of asserting ourselves that this is unacceptable. As working people we are entitled to a seat at the decision-making table- this is our lives we are talking about.
It is not right or just or acceptable in any way, shape or form that only our employers have a seat at the decision-making table.
How do we get a seat at the decision-making table when we are arrogantly excluded from the process by politicians who have the unmitigated gall to help our Wall Street employers, bankers and vulture capitalists before helping those of us who create the wealth? We need to raise so much hell until we get a seat at the decision-making table.
Think about this:
Usually a government professing to be democratic will invite all concerned and affected parties to fully articulate their problems through a series of hearings held in locations convenient for many people to attend.
Conclusion:
That this has not been done because the wealthy in power would be embarrassed to hear that they have been selfishly hoarding for themselves the wealth we have created and they don’t want this very fundamental and basic injustice of the capitalist system to be exposed lest they be forced to turn this wealth over for the common good of all in order to prevent mass misery and suffering of those of us who have created this wealth.
We must never forget that it is we, the working class with no small amount of help from Mother Nature who create ALL wealth and we must constantly remind these politicians of this because they would rather all of this not be publicly discussed...
Out of sight is out of mind!
As workers we must never forget this and we must assert our views and our demands for justice...
Right now at this moment of crisis with the capitalist economic system in a state of collapse exacerbated by this coronavirus pandemic we must insist our livelihoods and our rights be protected...
First and foremost this requires every adult be provided by the government with two-thousand dollars a month and every child in the family be provided for with five-hundred dollars a month at least as long as this crisis continues... and, by rights, justice requires this be made permanent.
Let us state in no uncertain terms that we as working people bear no responsibility for the economic crisis or the coronavirus crisis since we have had no seat at the decision-making table when it comes to economic policy or health care policy and this has to change and it needs to change now in order to avoid mass suffering and despair... democracy and the most basic and fundamental rights require no less... so let’s have an end to this hypocrisy of the wealthy few making all the decisions in this country.
Any thinking person, except for the most ethically and politically corrupt, can see and understand there is something drastically wrong with denying the majority of the people- those of us who create ALL the wealth- a seat at the decision-making table.
We also need legislation to be advanced for a National Public Health Care System...
Publicly funded.
Publicly administered.
Publicly delivered...
Based on the model of public education.
We should probably be thinking in terms of building some kind of huge massive “people’s lobby” in order for us (working people) to become participants in the decision-making process.
We should be thinking in terms of a huge Peace Dividend to pay for it all along with a very hefty progressive tax on the rich.
As for the National Public Health Care System, the present Medicare payroll tax will more than pay for this.
Maybe we should consider a really novel idea.
Something like a “We the People” kind of government?
Perhaps we need some kind of “people’s lobby” to push this through to reality:
https://www.facebook.com/100002118322023/posts/3139513512795895/
Not that I want to be accused of inciting revolution like Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson did.
Why are so few Democrats backing this? Where is the movement being organized to get behind this legislation?
House
Democrats have introduced legislation that would expand the federal
government’s coronavirus relief cash payments to $2,000 a month until
the economy recovers.On Wednesday, Americans who qualify started getting
one-time checks from the Treasury Department of up to $1,200 per adult
depending ...
thehill.com
House Democrats propose $2,000 monthly payments to Americans
House
Democrats have introduced legislation that would expand the federal
government’s coronavirus relief cash payments to $2,000 a month until
the economy recovers.On Wednesday, Americans who qualify started getting
one-time checks from the Treasury Department of up to $1,200 per adult
depending ...
We need an accounting for all of this bailout money.
We need to demand and accounting of every cent in that $2 trillion bailout
nypost.com
Over 43,000 US millionaires will get ‘stimulus’ averaging $1.6 million each
At
least 43,000 American millionaires who are too rich to get coronavirus
stimulus checks are getting a far bigger boost — averaging $1.6 million
each, according to a congressional committee.
Party hacks.
I find it interesting how many of these Democratic Party hacks aren’t
capable of putting together original thoughts of their own so they
circulate all these articles from the mainstream media highlighting
problems but then they resent others who use their posts by bringing
forward solutions as comments even though they preach to us how we
should support a bunch of worthless Dumb Donkeys and they tell us we
need to hold these politicians feet to the fire as they just keep
posting article after article from publications owned by those who are
our exploiters.
Sectarianism, an obstacle to unity.
You know, it never fails; when I post anything about a Democrat doing
something good or participating in helping to build some movement or
supporting some Democrat who is on the side of the people or when a
Democrat proposes some legislation that benefits the people, I start
getting these very sectarian responses from those who seem to think the
only path to progress is through their own little sectarian cult and
anything related to a Democrat must be bad. How stupid can people be?
When building movements to win reforms we work with anyone willing to
work towards our goals and objectives... it’s called unity.
The capitalist economy was collapsing long before the coronavirus.
Trump
was no surprise; he is part of Wall Street’s plan to manage (in a
dictatorial authoritarian way) a collapsing capitalist economy.
The economy was collapsing long before there was a corona virus.
In fact, Wall Street is using this corona virus as an excuse for government intervention on the side of Wall Street to manage the collapsing capitalist economy.
In fact, without the current government intervention, albeit too little too late and giving money to the rich instead of the poor, this capitalist economic collapse would probably be even worse than it is now... as hard as it is for anyone to admit that Trump’s intervention may have softened the collapse in the very short term. Trump was no surprise; he is part of Wall Street’s plan to manage (in a dictatorial authoritarian way) a collapsing capitalist economy.
Trump needed an excuse for government intervention because none of the capitalist economists would have agreed to this massive government intervention in trying to prop up a capitalist economy on the skids to oblivion.
Now, what Trump is doing is totally stupid because he is stealing the wealth created by the working class and funneling even more money through this stimulus bullshit to the richest of the rich and what are these people going to do with these trillions of dollars?
There was only one way to stop this slide into an economic abyss; and this would have been to tell the truth about the capitalist economic collapse and announced that trillions of dollars were going to be transferred from the rich back to working people who produced this wealth in the first place so they could start buying the necessities of life and this would have primed the economic pump and helped prevent the kind of misery Wall Street has decided to put the people through.
We have very stupid people blinded by their greed managing this collapsing capitalist economy (people who believe government has no business managing the economy but who are so damn greedy they are going to take advantage of their power to grab even more for themselves).
The coronavirus has very little to do with what is going on with the economy... it is the excuse they use because these people in power refuse to admit their capitalist system is in big trouble and none of these people in power are competent to bring us out of this crisis... they even lack the competence to save their own rotten system.
Every single economist said we were into a recession long before anyone ever heard of the coronavirus...
And what did those in power do to try to dig us out of this economic mess?
Just what they did to try to protect us from the coronavirus...
They lied and deceived...
The economy was just fantastic.
There was nothing to worry about with the coronavirus.
Are you getting it yet?
These goddamn politicians and pundits and professors don’t give a flying fuck about you....
Yet you listen to them and you vote for them.
They have so overwhelmed you with blaming everything on the coronavirus that you can’t even think.
Consider this:
What will corporations do with six-trillion dollars of government bailout?
Think about this:
What would workers have done had each and every worker in this country received a check for $40,000.00 instead?
A question:
Is there any way for us to know what Wall Street is doing with this six-trillion dollars?
Conclusion:
We know what workers would have done with forty-thousand dollar checks... they would have spent this money for things they need to live better lives and this would really have stimulated the economy.
The economy was collapsing long before there was a corona virus.
In fact, Wall Street is using this corona virus as an excuse for government intervention on the side of Wall Street to manage the collapsing capitalist economy.
In fact, without the current government intervention, albeit too little too late and giving money to the rich instead of the poor, this capitalist economic collapse would probably be even worse than it is now... as hard as it is for anyone to admit that Trump’s intervention may have softened the collapse in the very short term. Trump was no surprise; he is part of Wall Street’s plan to manage (in a dictatorial authoritarian way) a collapsing capitalist economy.
Trump needed an excuse for government intervention because none of the capitalist economists would have agreed to this massive government intervention in trying to prop up a capitalist economy on the skids to oblivion.
Now, what Trump is doing is totally stupid because he is stealing the wealth created by the working class and funneling even more money through this stimulus bullshit to the richest of the rich and what are these people going to do with these trillions of dollars?
There was only one way to stop this slide into an economic abyss; and this would have been to tell the truth about the capitalist economic collapse and announced that trillions of dollars were going to be transferred from the rich back to working people who produced this wealth in the first place so they could start buying the necessities of life and this would have primed the economic pump and helped prevent the kind of misery Wall Street has decided to put the people through.
We have very stupid people blinded by their greed managing this collapsing capitalist economy (people who believe government has no business managing the economy but who are so damn greedy they are going to take advantage of their power to grab even more for themselves).
The coronavirus has very little to do with what is going on with the economy... it is the excuse they use because these people in power refuse to admit their capitalist system is in big trouble and none of these people in power are competent to bring us out of this crisis... they even lack the competence to save their own rotten system.
Every single economist said we were into a recession long before anyone ever heard of the coronavirus...
And what did those in power do to try to dig us out of this economic mess?
Just what they did to try to protect us from the coronavirus...
They lied and deceived...
The economy was just fantastic.
There was nothing to worry about with the coronavirus.
Are you getting it yet?
These goddamn politicians and pundits and professors don’t give a flying fuck about you....
Yet you listen to them and you vote for them.
They have so overwhelmed you with blaming everything on the coronavirus that you can’t even think.
Consider this:
What will corporations do with six-trillion dollars of government bailout?
Think about this:
What would workers have done had each and every worker in this country received a check for $40,000.00 instead?
A question:
Is there any way for us to know what Wall Street is doing with this six-trillion dollars?
Conclusion:
We know what workers would have done with forty-thousand dollar checks... they would have spent this money for things they need to live better lives and this would really have stimulated the economy.
Never Joe Biden.
This
is my answer to Democrats who say I need to vote for Biden to get rid
of Trump and that I have to help keep people in the Democratic Party:
There are also very compelling reasons to think in terms of a new party which were stated very eloquently by Elmer Benson:
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/47/v47i04p154-161.pdf
Joe Biden has taken a turn for the worse with his China bashing which is to the right of Trump and there has been no attempt by grassroots Democrats to push back in rejecting this China bashing... which is to the right of Trump.
I think we should support Democrats when they do what is right and oppose them when they are wrong.
But, I think many people, if not most people, resent being played for suckers and fools by Democrats who bring forward good reforms by way of legislation only when they know the legislation has no chance of passing and its used merely as election gimmickry per George Lakoff.
Democrats have introduced two very important pieces of legislation...
One to reform Social Security... which Joe Biden does not support.
Another to provide every adult with $2,000.00 a month until there is a full economic recovery... again, Biden opposes this.
My suggestion would be that movements should be created right now to support these two pieces of legislation and these movements should become so powerful Biden and the Democrats are forced to enact them.
Why is it people working together must hinge on what candidate or political party they support instead of what kind of world we all want to live in?
The biggest block of eligible voters in this country isn’t even voting and no one seems to even care enough to ask why this is...
But is it because these people do not feel politicians are relating to their life experiences and their problems?
As someone who has never been afraid to work in the Democratic Party and with Democrats, (pushing them to do what is right and supporting what they do when they are right and stating very publicly when they are wrong in order to try to force them to do what is right)... there is no way I will ever vote for Joe Biden. I don’t understand why Democrats, if they really want to beat Trump, would first saddle us with the likes of Hillary Clinton and now try to shove Joe Biden down our throats?
This is a problem for Democrats who are seeking enough votes to defeat Trump to deal with... get him off the ticket instead of berating people for not wanting to vote for him. If you run a loser expect to lose. It’s really this huge non-voting block of voters you need to convince before November not individuals like me who aren’t going to vote for Biden no matter what.
But, unity should be based on the the issues; solutions to problems working people are experiencing and for peace. This China bashing of Biden’s has to stop and it has to stop now and all of you supporting him have a special responsibility to send him a message that this is not acceptable... it’s not acceptable coming from Trump and Bannon, it’s not acceptable coming from Joe Biden. Most people in this country want peace... let’s remember, the most progressive president in the history of this country was Lyndon Johnson... and the people forced him to not seek re-election because he chose to continue the war in Vietnam instead of his war on poverty. There is a lesson here... and Democrats should heed this lesson... this is a cartoon on the wall in the LBJ Library and museum in Austin... the American people want an LBJ without war, we want a Claude “Red” Pepper fighting to defend Social Security, we want a Henry Wallace fighting for the Common Man, we want a Frances Perkins fighting for real reforms not as mere election gimmicks but as real solutions to our problems.
We want Democrats willing to work with an Emma Tenayuca.
This is a two-way street. We aren’t asking for too much... we just want something of substance in return for our votes and Biden does not offer that... and it is safe to say he never will... after half a century in politics beholden only to Wall Street’s interest he isn’t going to change... if he is going to change he needs to show it now and his rank animosity towards China certainly doesn’t show any breaking away from his politics of war, lies, deceit and corruption.
And I would love to be able to vote for a Democrat who could defeat Trump... but Biden never.
What I really resent is people who spend their time trying to bully and badger me into voting for a creep like Joe Biden but they won’t demand accountability from their own party to run decent candidates... this is the ultimate hypocrisy as far as I am concerned... get Biden off your ticket and then come back to me with a candidate for peace, social and economic justice; but you know your beloved Democratic Party will never run such a candidate for president... so you take out your frustrations trying to bully and badger people like me who want something of substance in return for our votes.
There are also very compelling reasons to think in terms of a new party which were stated very eloquently by Elmer Benson:
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/47/v47i04p154-161.pdf
Joe Biden has taken a turn for the worse with his China bashing which is to the right of Trump and there has been no attempt by grassroots Democrats to push back in rejecting this China bashing... which is to the right of Trump.
I think we should support Democrats when they do what is right and oppose them when they are wrong.
But, I think many people, if not most people, resent being played for suckers and fools by Democrats who bring forward good reforms by way of legislation only when they know the legislation has no chance of passing and its used merely as election gimmickry per George Lakoff.
Democrats have introduced two very important pieces of legislation...
One to reform Social Security... which Joe Biden does not support.
Another to provide every adult with $2,000.00 a month until there is a full economic recovery... again, Biden opposes this.
My suggestion would be that movements should be created right now to support these two pieces of legislation and these movements should become so powerful Biden and the Democrats are forced to enact them.
Why is it people working together must hinge on what candidate or political party they support instead of what kind of world we all want to live in?
The biggest block of eligible voters in this country isn’t even voting and no one seems to even care enough to ask why this is...
But is it because these people do not feel politicians are relating to their life experiences and their problems?
As someone who has never been afraid to work in the Democratic Party and with Democrats, (pushing them to do what is right and supporting what they do when they are right and stating very publicly when they are wrong in order to try to force them to do what is right)... there is no way I will ever vote for Joe Biden. I don’t understand why Democrats, if they really want to beat Trump, would first saddle us with the likes of Hillary Clinton and now try to shove Joe Biden down our throats?
This is a problem for Democrats who are seeking enough votes to defeat Trump to deal with... get him off the ticket instead of berating people for not wanting to vote for him. If you run a loser expect to lose. It’s really this huge non-voting block of voters you need to convince before November not individuals like me who aren’t going to vote for Biden no matter what.
But, unity should be based on the the issues; solutions to problems working people are experiencing and for peace. This China bashing of Biden’s has to stop and it has to stop now and all of you supporting him have a special responsibility to send him a message that this is not acceptable... it’s not acceptable coming from Trump and Bannon, it’s not acceptable coming from Joe Biden. Most people in this country want peace... let’s remember, the most progressive president in the history of this country was Lyndon Johnson... and the people forced him to not seek re-election because he chose to continue the war in Vietnam instead of his war on poverty. There is a lesson here... and Democrats should heed this lesson... this is a cartoon on the wall in the LBJ Library and museum in Austin... the American people want an LBJ without war, we want a Claude “Red” Pepper fighting to defend Social Security, we want a Henry Wallace fighting for the Common Man, we want a Frances Perkins fighting for real reforms not as mere election gimmicks but as real solutions to our problems.
We want Democrats willing to work with an Emma Tenayuca.
This is a two-way street. We aren’t asking for too much... we just want something of substance in return for our votes and Biden does not offer that... and it is safe to say he never will... after half a century in politics beholden only to Wall Street’s interest he isn’t going to change... if he is going to change he needs to show it now and his rank animosity towards China certainly doesn’t show any breaking away from his politics of war, lies, deceit and corruption.
And I would love to be able to vote for a Democrat who could defeat Trump... but Biden never.
What I really resent is people who spend their time trying to bully and badger me into voting for a creep like Joe Biden but they won’t demand accountability from their own party to run decent candidates... this is the ultimate hypocrisy as far as I am concerned... get Biden off your ticket and then come back to me with a candidate for peace, social and economic justice; but you know your beloved Democratic Party will never run such a candidate for president... so you take out your frustrations trying to bully and badger people like me who want something of substance in return for our votes.
Friday, April 17, 2020
"Greenwood" by Michael Christie
A great review of Greenwood in the Washington Post today.
"Michael Christie's novel also delivers an uncanny metaphor for our current moment." How I wish this wasn't true.
"Michael Christie's novel also delivers an uncanny metaphor for our current moment." How I wish this wasn't true.
washingtonpost.com
Michael Christie’s novel also delivers an uncanny metaphor for our current moment
Michael Christie’s novel also delivers an uncanny metaphor for our current moment
RELEASE: Representatives Ro Khanna and Tim Ryan Introduce Legislation to Send Americans Additional Cash Payments
RELEASE: Representatives Ro Khanna and Tim Ryan Introduce Legislation to Send Americans Additional Cash Payments
April 14, 2020
Press Release
Legislation provides $2,000 per month through the economic crisis, for up to 12 months
Washington,
DC – Today, Representatives Ro Khanna (CA-17) and Tim Ryan (OH-13)
introduced the Emergency Money for the People Act to provide additional
cash payments for hard-working Americans who have been impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic. While the CARES Act was an important first step, its
one-time payment does not provide nearly enough support for American
families.
The Emergency Money for the People Act expands relief to more Americans and includes a $2,000 monthly payment to every qualifying American over the age of 16 for up to 12 months. It also fixes a bug in the CARES Act to ensure college students and adults with disabilities can still receive the payments even if claimed as a dependent. The Emergency Money for the People Act additionally recognizes that not everyone has a bank or a home address to receive a check – so it allows individuals to get this money through direct deposit, check, pre-paid debit card, or mobile money platforms such as Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal.
“A one-time, twelve-hundred-dollar check isn’t going to cut it,” said Rep. Ro Khanna. “Americans need sustained cash infusions for the duration of this crisis in order to come out on the other side alive, healthy, and ready to get back to work. Members on both sides of the aisle are finally coming together around the idea of sending money out to people. Rep. Ryan and I are urging leadership to include this bill in the fourth COVID relief package to truly support the American working class.”
“The economic impact of this virus is unprecedented for our country. As millions of Americans file for unemployment week over week, we have to work quickly to patch the dam – and that means putting cash in the hands of hard-working families,” said Congressman Tim Ryan. “Many Ohioans are just receiving – or about to receive – the first cash payment we passed in the CARES Act. Now it’s time for Congress to get to work on the next step to provide relief for those who have been hardest hit in this pandemic.”
Under the Emergency Money for the People Act, monthly cash assistance payments would be guaranteed for at least six months and would renew for another six months unless the employment-to-population ratio for people ages 16 and older returns to the pre-covid crisis employment level of 60%. These payments would not count as income in order to protect eligibility for any of the income-based state or federal government assistance programs.
Eligibility:
Original Co-sponsors: Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Judy Chu (CA-27), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Mike Doyle (PA-18), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Eliot L. Engel (NY-16), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Joe Neguse (CO-2), Mary, Gay Scanlon (PA-5), Darren Soto (FL-9), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Nydia Velázquez (NY-7), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Grace Meng (NY- 6), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), and Barbara Lee (CA-13).
Full bill text can be found here.
# # #
About the Office
Congressman Khanna represents the 17th District of California, which covers communities in Silicon Valley. Visit his website at khanna.house.gov. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @RepRoKhanna.
The Emergency Money for the People Act expands relief to more Americans and includes a $2,000 monthly payment to every qualifying American over the age of 16 for up to 12 months. It also fixes a bug in the CARES Act to ensure college students and adults with disabilities can still receive the payments even if claimed as a dependent. The Emergency Money for the People Act additionally recognizes that not everyone has a bank or a home address to receive a check – so it allows individuals to get this money through direct deposit, check, pre-paid debit card, or mobile money platforms such as Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal.
“A one-time, twelve-hundred-dollar check isn’t going to cut it,” said Rep. Ro Khanna. “Americans need sustained cash infusions for the duration of this crisis in order to come out on the other side alive, healthy, and ready to get back to work. Members on both sides of the aisle are finally coming together around the idea of sending money out to people. Rep. Ryan and I are urging leadership to include this bill in the fourth COVID relief package to truly support the American working class.”
“The economic impact of this virus is unprecedented for our country. As millions of Americans file for unemployment week over week, we have to work quickly to patch the dam – and that means putting cash in the hands of hard-working families,” said Congressman Tim Ryan. “Many Ohioans are just receiving – or about to receive – the first cash payment we passed in the CARES Act. Now it’s time for Congress to get to work on the next step to provide relief for those who have been hardest hit in this pandemic.”
Under the Emergency Money for the People Act, monthly cash assistance payments would be guaranteed for at least six months and would renew for another six months unless the employment-to-population ratio for people ages 16 and older returns to the pre-covid crisis employment level of 60%. These payments would not count as income in order to protect eligibility for any of the income-based state or federal government assistance programs.
Eligibility:
- Every American age 16 and older making less than $130,000 annually would receive at least $2,000 per month.
- Married couples earning less than $260,000 would receive at least $4,000 per month.
- Qualifying families with children will receive an additional $500 per child – families will receive funds for up to three children.
- For example, a married couple making under $260K with 3 kids would receive $5,500 per month.
- Those who had no earnings, were unemployed, or are currently unemployed would also be eligible.
- Those who were not eligible in 2019 or 2018 but would be eligible in 2020, could submit at least two consecutive months of paychecks to verify income eligibility.
- The Emergency Money for the People Act also expands the program to millions more Americans who were excluded from the CARES cash rebates – such as college students and adults with disabilities who are still claimed as a dependent. The individual will receive the payment and their parent or guardian will receive the dependent credit.
Original Co-sponsors: Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Judy Chu (CA-27), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Mike Doyle (PA-18), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Eliot L. Engel (NY-16), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Joe Neguse (CO-2), Mary, Gay Scanlon (PA-5), Darren Soto (FL-9), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Nydia Velázquez (NY-7), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Grace Meng (NY- 6), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), and Barbara Lee (CA-13).
Full bill text can be found here.
# # #
About the Office
Congressman Khanna represents the 17th District of California, which covers communities in Silicon Valley. Visit his website at khanna.house.gov. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @RepRoKhanna.
Issues:
Economy, Equality and Social Justice, Government Reform, Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Full text of Bill:
https://khanna.house.gov/sites/khanna.house.gov/files/Final_Emergency%20Money%20For%20the%20People.pdf
2 SEC. 2. EMERGENCY PAYMENTS. 1(a) GENERALRULE.— 2(1) DIRECTIVE TO MAKE PAYMENTS.—The Sec-3retary of the Treasury shall make a payment in each 4month of the payment period to each eligible indi-5vidual. 6(2) BEGINNING DATE.—Payments for the first 7of such months shall be distributed within 14 days 8after the date of the enactment of this Act. 9(3) PAYMENT PERIOD.—The term ‘‘payment 10period’’ The term ‘‘payment period’’ means the 12- 11month period beginning with the first month in 12which the Secretary makes a payment under para-13graph (1), unless as of the end of the sixth month 14of such period the employment-to-population ratio 15for people ages 16 and over is greater than 60 per-16cent. 17(4) FORM AND MANNER OF PAYMENTS.—Pay-18ments under paragraph (1) shall be made in such 19form and manner as the Secretary shall provide, ex-20cept that the Secretary shall— 21(A) offer the option of receiving payments 22under this section by direct deposit, check, pre- 23paid debit card, or electronic transfer of pay-24ment through an electronic transfer application 25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)3 that can be used on mobile devices to receive 1payments; and 2(B) ensure that payments under this sec-3tion are made to those without fixed addresses. 4(b) ELIGIBLEINDIVIDUAL.—For purposes of this 5section— 6(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘eligible indi-7vidual’’ means any individual— 8(A) who— 9(i) is a citizen or resident of the 10United States; or 11(ii) is described in paragraph (4); 12(B) who, as of January 1, 2020, has at-13tained the age of 16, and 14(C) whose adjusted gross income either— 15(i) does not exceed the threshold 16amount for the taxable year beginning in 172019, or 18(ii) would not exceed the threshold 19amount for the first taxable year beginning 20in 2020, determined on the basis of 2 con-21secutive months of such taxable year and 22annualized. 23(2) SPECIAL RULE FOR MARRIED INDIVID-24UALS.—In the case of any individual who filed a 25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)4 joint return for the taxable year beginning in 2019, 1the individual and the spouse of the individual shall 2be treated as one person if either the individual or 3the spouse of the individual meets the requirements 4specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph 5(1). 6(3) CERTAIN DEPENDENTS.—The term ‘‘eligible 7individual’’ does not include any dependent (as de-8fined in section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 91986) who, as of December 31, 2019, has not at-10tained the age of 16 and with respect to whom a de-11duction under section 151(c) of such Code is allow-12able to another individual for the taxable year begin-13ning in 2019. 14(4) SPECIAL RULE FOR INDIVIDUALS IN THE15UNITED STATES CONTINUOUSLY SINCE THE DEC-16LARATION OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY.— 17(A) IN GENERAL.—An individual is de-18scribed in this paragraph if the individual— 19(i) is not a citizen or resident of the 20United States; and 21(ii) has been physically present in the 22United States continuously since January 2327, 2020 (the effective date of the public 24health emergency declared pursuant to sec-25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)5 tion 319 of the Public Health Service Act 1(42 U.S.C. 247d) resulting from the 2COVID–19 pandemic)), and continues to 3be physically present in the United States 4throughout the duration of the payment 5period. 6(B) BREAK IN PRESENCE.—For purposes 7of subparagraph (A)(ii), an individual shall be 8considered to have failed to maintain contin-9uous physical presence in the United States if 10the individual has departed from the United 11States for any period exceeding 90 days or for 12any periods, in the aggregate, exceeding 180 13days. 14(5) CONSULTATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AND15STATE AGENCIES.—For purposes of identifying and 16making payments under this section to all eligible 17individuals for whom the Secretary does not have 18sufficient tax return information to make such pay-19ments, the Secretary shall consult with— 20(A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and 21the Commissioner of Social Security; and 22(B) any agency making payments of pen-23sion or annuity to individuals for service per-24formed in the employ of the United States or 25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)6 any State, political subdivision of a State, or 1any instrumentality thereof, which is not con-2sidered employment for purposes of chapter 21 3of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 4(c) AMOUNT OFPAYMENT.— 5(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of each pay-6ment under subsection (a) shall be— 7(A) except as provided in subparagraph 8(B), $2,000 in the case of an individual de-9scribed in subsection (b)(1), and 10(B) $4,000, made jointly, in the case of 11two individuals filing a joint return for a tax-12able year beginning in 2019. 13(2) ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR DEPENDENTS.— 14(A) ONE CHILD.—If a deduction is allowed 15for one or more dependents on the return for 16the taxable year beginning in 2019, the amount 17in paragraph (1) shall be increased by $500 in 18the case of a return for which one deduction is 19allowed under section 151(c) of the Internal 20Revenue Code of 1986. 21(B) THREE OR MORE CHILDREN.—In the 22case of deductions allowed for three or more de-23pendents on the return for the taxable year be-24VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)7 ginning in 2019, subparagraph (A) shall be ap-1plied by substituting ‘‘$1,500’’ for ‘‘$500’’. 2(3) PHASEOUT.— 3(A) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a pay-4ment specified in paragraph (1) shall be re-5duced (but not below zero) by 5 percentage 6points for each $1,000 (or fraction thereof) by 7which the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income ex-8ceeds the threshold amount. 9(B) THRESHOLD AMOUNT.—For purposes 10of subparagraph (A), the term ‘‘threshold 11amount’’ means— 12(i) $130,000 in the case of an indi-13vidual who filed a separate return for the 14taxable year beginning in 2019, and 15(ii) $260,000 in the case of the indi-16viduals treated as one person under sub-17section (c)(2) who filed a joint return for 18the taxable year beginning in 2019. 19(d) SPECIALRULESRELATING TOAVAILABLEIN-20FORMATION.— 21(1) USE OF RETURN INFORMATION FOR 201822RETURNS.—For purposes of making determinations 23under this section with respect to any individual, if 24return information of such individual is not available 25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)8 for the taxable year beginning in 2019, the Sec-1retary shall use return information (if any) for the 2taxable year 2018 instead. 3(2) INDIVIDUALS FOR WHOM INFORMATION NOT4AVAILABLE.—In the case of any individual for whom 5return information is not available from the Internal 6Revenue Service and the Secretary determines that 7sufficient information is not available from the So-8cial Security Administration or the Department of 9Veterans Affairs, the Secretary shall provide for an 10application process for individuals to receive pay-11ments under this section. Such application shall be 12in such form and filed in such manner as the Sec-13retary may require. For purposes of carrying out 14this section, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 15work in cooperation with the Secretary of Veterans 16Affairs and the Commissioner of Social Security. 17(e) OTHERDEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sec-18tion— 19(1) CITIZEN OR RESIDENT.—The term ‘‘citizen 20or resident of the United States’’ means a citizen or 21resident (as such terms are used in section 227701(a)(30)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 231986) of the United States. 24VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)9 (2) UNITEDSTATESDEFINED.—The term 1‘‘United States’’ means the several States, the Dis-2trict of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the 3Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 4Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. 5(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 6the Secretary of the Treasury or the Secretary’s del-7egate. 8(4) OTHER TERMS.—Except as otherwise pro-9vided in this section, any term used in this section 10which is used in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 11shall have the meaning as used in the Internal Rev-12enue Code of 1986. 13(f) SPECIALRULES.—For purposes of this section— 14(1) INCOME EXCLUSION.—Payments under this 15section shall not be includible in gross income for 16purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 17(2) EXCLUDED FROM GROSS ESTATE.—Pay-18ments under this section shall not be includible in 19the gross estate of any individual for purposes of 20chapter 11 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 21(3) TOLL-FREE HOTLINE TELEPHONE NUM-22BER.—The Secretary shall provide a 24 hour toll- 23free hotline telephone number for any individual to 24VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)
Full text of Bill:
https://khanna.house.gov/sites/khanna.house.gov/files/Final_Emergency%20Money%20For%20the%20People.pdf
2 SEC. 2. EMERGENCY PAYMENTS. 1(a) GENERALRULE.— 2(1) DIRECTIVE TO MAKE PAYMENTS.—The Sec-3retary of the Treasury shall make a payment in each 4month of the payment period to each eligible indi-5vidual. 6(2) BEGINNING DATE.—Payments for the first 7of such months shall be distributed within 14 days 8after the date of the enactment of this Act. 9(3) PAYMENT PERIOD.—The term ‘‘payment 10period’’ The term ‘‘payment period’’ means the 12- 11month period beginning with the first month in 12which the Secretary makes a payment under para-13graph (1), unless as of the end of the sixth month 14of such period the employment-to-population ratio 15for people ages 16 and over is greater than 60 per-16cent. 17(4) FORM AND MANNER OF PAYMENTS.—Pay-18ments under paragraph (1) shall be made in such 19form and manner as the Secretary shall provide, ex-20cept that the Secretary shall— 21(A) offer the option of receiving payments 22under this section by direct deposit, check, pre- 23paid debit card, or electronic transfer of pay-24ment through an electronic transfer application 25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)3 that can be used on mobile devices to receive 1payments; and 2(B) ensure that payments under this sec-3tion are made to those without fixed addresses. 4(b) ELIGIBLEINDIVIDUAL.—For purposes of this 5section— 6(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘eligible indi-7vidual’’ means any individual— 8(A) who— 9(i) is a citizen or resident of the 10United States; or 11(ii) is described in paragraph (4); 12(B) who, as of January 1, 2020, has at-13tained the age of 16, and 14(C) whose adjusted gross income either— 15(i) does not exceed the threshold 16amount for the taxable year beginning in 172019, or 18(ii) would not exceed the threshold 19amount for the first taxable year beginning 20in 2020, determined on the basis of 2 con-21secutive months of such taxable year and 22annualized. 23(2) SPECIAL RULE FOR MARRIED INDIVID-24UALS.—In the case of any individual who filed a 25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)4 joint return for the taxable year beginning in 2019, 1the individual and the spouse of the individual shall 2be treated as one person if either the individual or 3the spouse of the individual meets the requirements 4specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph 5(1). 6(3) CERTAIN DEPENDENTS.—The term ‘‘eligible 7individual’’ does not include any dependent (as de-8fined in section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 91986) who, as of December 31, 2019, has not at-10tained the age of 16 and with respect to whom a de-11duction under section 151(c) of such Code is allow-12able to another individual for the taxable year begin-13ning in 2019. 14(4) SPECIAL RULE FOR INDIVIDUALS IN THE15UNITED STATES CONTINUOUSLY SINCE THE DEC-16LARATION OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY.— 17(A) IN GENERAL.—An individual is de-18scribed in this paragraph if the individual— 19(i) is not a citizen or resident of the 20United States; and 21(ii) has been physically present in the 22United States continuously since January 2327, 2020 (the effective date of the public 24health emergency declared pursuant to sec-25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)5 tion 319 of the Public Health Service Act 1(42 U.S.C. 247d) resulting from the 2COVID–19 pandemic)), and continues to 3be physically present in the United States 4throughout the duration of the payment 5period. 6(B) BREAK IN PRESENCE.—For purposes 7of subparagraph (A)(ii), an individual shall be 8considered to have failed to maintain contin-9uous physical presence in the United States if 10the individual has departed from the United 11States for any period exceeding 90 days or for 12any periods, in the aggregate, exceeding 180 13days. 14(5) CONSULTATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AND15STATE AGENCIES.—For purposes of identifying and 16making payments under this section to all eligible 17individuals for whom the Secretary does not have 18sufficient tax return information to make such pay-19ments, the Secretary shall consult with— 20(A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and 21the Commissioner of Social Security; and 22(B) any agency making payments of pen-23sion or annuity to individuals for service per-24formed in the employ of the United States or 25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)6 any State, political subdivision of a State, or 1any instrumentality thereof, which is not con-2sidered employment for purposes of chapter 21 3of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 4(c) AMOUNT OFPAYMENT.— 5(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of each pay-6ment under subsection (a) shall be— 7(A) except as provided in subparagraph 8(B), $2,000 in the case of an individual de-9scribed in subsection (b)(1), and 10(B) $4,000, made jointly, in the case of 11two individuals filing a joint return for a tax-12able year beginning in 2019. 13(2) ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR DEPENDENTS.— 14(A) ONE CHILD.—If a deduction is allowed 15for one or more dependents on the return for 16the taxable year beginning in 2019, the amount 17in paragraph (1) shall be increased by $500 in 18the case of a return for which one deduction is 19allowed under section 151(c) of the Internal 20Revenue Code of 1986. 21(B) THREE OR MORE CHILDREN.—In the 22case of deductions allowed for three or more de-23pendents on the return for the taxable year be-24VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)7 ginning in 2019, subparagraph (A) shall be ap-1plied by substituting ‘‘$1,500’’ for ‘‘$500’’. 2(3) PHASEOUT.— 3(A) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a pay-4ment specified in paragraph (1) shall be re-5duced (but not below zero) by 5 percentage 6points for each $1,000 (or fraction thereof) by 7which the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income ex-8ceeds the threshold amount. 9(B) THRESHOLD AMOUNT.—For purposes 10of subparagraph (A), the term ‘‘threshold 11amount’’ means— 12(i) $130,000 in the case of an indi-13vidual who filed a separate return for the 14taxable year beginning in 2019, and 15(ii) $260,000 in the case of the indi-16viduals treated as one person under sub-17section (c)(2) who filed a joint return for 18the taxable year beginning in 2019. 19(d) SPECIALRULESRELATING TOAVAILABLEIN-20FORMATION.— 21(1) USE OF RETURN INFORMATION FOR 201822RETURNS.—For purposes of making determinations 23under this section with respect to any individual, if 24return information of such individual is not available 25VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)8 for the taxable year beginning in 2019, the Sec-1retary shall use return information (if any) for the 2taxable year 2018 instead. 3(2) INDIVIDUALS FOR WHOM INFORMATION NOT4AVAILABLE.—In the case of any individual for whom 5return information is not available from the Internal 6Revenue Service and the Secretary determines that 7sufficient information is not available from the So-8cial Security Administration or the Department of 9Veterans Affairs, the Secretary shall provide for an 10application process for individuals to receive pay-11ments under this section. Such application shall be 12in such form and filed in such manner as the Sec-13retary may require. For purposes of carrying out 14this section, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 15work in cooperation with the Secretary of Veterans 16Affairs and the Commissioner of Social Security. 17(e) OTHERDEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sec-18tion— 19(1) CITIZEN OR RESIDENT.—The term ‘‘citizen 20or resident of the United States’’ means a citizen or 21resident (as such terms are used in section 227701(a)(30)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 231986) of the United States. 24VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)9 (2) UNITEDSTATESDEFINED.—The term 1‘‘United States’’ means the several States, the Dis-2trict of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the 3Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 4Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. 5(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 6the Secretary of the Treasury or the Secretary’s del-7egate. 8(4) OTHER TERMS.—Except as otherwise pro-9vided in this section, any term used in this section 10which is used in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 11shall have the meaning as used in the Internal Rev-12enue Code of 1986. 13(f) SPECIALRULES.—For purposes of this section— 14(1) INCOME EXCLUSION.—Payments under this 15section shall not be includible in gross income for 16purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 17(2) EXCLUDED FROM GROSS ESTATE.—Pay-18ments under this section shall not be includible in 19the gross estate of any individual for purposes of 20chapter 11 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 21(3) TOLL-FREE HOTLINE TELEPHONE NUM-22BER.—The Secretary shall provide a 24 hour toll- 23free hotline telephone number for any individual to 24VerDate Mar 15 2010 19:50 Apr 13, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\EWBALLOU\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\RYANOH_0April 13, 2020 (7:50 p.m.)G:\M\16\RYANOH\RYANOH_079.XMLg:\VHLC\041320\041320.223.xml (761049|1)