By Nicole Via and Rada - NBC News
Many citizens in the United States are waking up this week with $ 600 or more in their bank accounts, now that the federal government has begun distributing its second round of COVID-19 pandemic relief checks.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that direct deposits could appear at any time from that night to the following week.
Paper checks have been
mailed since Wednesday,
Mnuchin said, for those Americans who do not have their banking information on file with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
[Do you expect the $ 600 check to go up to $ 2,000? The Republican Senate leader says it would benefit those who do not need it]
Brittany Williams, 39, said she received $ 1,800 - she and her two children, ages 6 and 8, received $ 600 each.
"Having this little bit really calms me down
,
"
said Williams, who is a single mom, "it really gives me a second to breathe."
Williams works at a Colorado-based marketing company, but during the pandemic she moved to Mukilteo, Washington, to be closer to her parents.
She has had to rely on her savings account for many necessary expenses this year, after losing some clients due to financial difficulties from COVID-19.
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“It will help me have a couple more presents for them under the Christmas tree that they weren't going to have this year due to my financial situation,” Williams said.
She will use some of the extra money to buy Lego blocks, which her children love, but which she was unable to buy this year.
"They're expensive," Williams said, "they weren't on my to-do list, so I'm really excited to give them a couple of things that they're really going to love and enjoy and are going to spend quality time with."
[The deal for the $ 600 COVID-19 relief check includes families with mixed immigration status this time]
The $ 600 payments are part of the nearly $ 900 billion relief package that President Donald Trump signed on Sunday, after a delay of several days during which he urged lawmakers to send in checks for $ 2,000.
The Democrat-led House of Representatives passed a bill Monday to make checks with more money a reality, but the legislation faces a bleak future in the Republican-controlled Senate.
For now, individuals with incomes of up to $ 75,000 in 2019 will receive $ 600, and married couples who have earned up to $ 150,000 will get 1,200.
Additionally, families will receive an additional $ 600 for each dependent person in the household.
Some citizens are using the extra money to pay off credit card debt obtained while struggling to find a job.
The second round of the economic stimulus check for the coronavirus pandemic has begun to reach the bank accounts of Americans.
Michelle Soto, 25, said she was part of the first layoffs to occur in Philadelphia's tourism industry.
This Tuesday, when he got his stimulus check, he immediately made a payment on his credit card.
Soto said she wiped out her savings account during the first months of the pandemic, trying to keep up with her rent and student loan payments while she has been unemployed.
He lost his rental agreement and was homeless until he was able to move in with his mother in Minnesota.
"I'm trying to make sure I can keep my cat alive, stay alive and try to miss any payments on the debts that I have, and then trying a way to have health insurance before he turns 26," Soto said.
[When the $ 600 check will arrive, who qualifies, and what additional assistance is included in the relief package signed by Trump]
His cat had surgery this year, which Soto paid for with his credit card.
Your grocery store, grocery shopping, and utility bills are also wiping out your savings account.
She has been receiving about $ 150 a week in unemployment benefits, less than at the beginning of the pandemic, although that number could rise thanks to new economic relief legislation.
Both women, like many Americans,
hope the Senate will pass the $ 2,000 checks
.
"It's very clear how out of touch they are, to believe that $ 600 will change someone's life," Soto said.
“$ 600 is a lot of money for a 12-year-old.
$ 600 is nothing for an adult with responsibilities, debt and children ”.