House Democrats announce income cutoffs for next round of coronavirus stimulus

On Monday, the Wall Street Journalreported that House Democrats are planning to set the cutoff level for the $1,400 direct payments in the new round of COVID-19 stimulus to $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 per couple.

That would be identical to the cutoff levels in the previous round of payments passed at the end of 2020 — although the phaseout rate could change.

The decision comes after reports that some Democrats in Congress were open to reducing the thresholds in order to win the votes of Republicans, or shore up the votes of conservative Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).

The House resolution, which is essential to shepherding COVID-19 stimulus through a filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process, reportedly also includes raising the minimum wage to $15/hour, although it is not yet clear whether that will survive Senate rules.