A Republican Congressman wants to put a stipulation on who receives the next round of stimulus payments – they must receive a coronavirus vaccine.
Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, told Yahoo Finance Live he thinks President Joe Biden’s $1,400 stimulus shouldn’t be distributed without the vaccine stipulation.
“I hope the administration will look at that option because we actually buy something with our $1,400 — and that’s herd immunity,” Stivers said.
Biden has proposed the $1,400 per person stimulus that, when coupled with the $600 payments approved in December 2020, would bring the total to $2,000, an amount sought by both Democrats and former President Donald Trump. The first $1,200-per-person stimulus was approved in March during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stivers said the $2 trillion price tag for the entire stimulus package would be worth it if it pays for “the right things.”
“The quickest thing we need to do if we really want to help the American people, is get this economy turned back on — get people back to work, get kids back in school, get ourselves some herd immunity, get the vaccine distributed as quick as we can and get the uptake rate up,” Stivers said. “That’s why I’d be willing to accept a $1,400 stimulus check if people are willing to take the vaccine.”
Stivers’ suggestion isn’t the first time pay for vaccine has been proposed.
U.S. Rep. John Delaney, D-Maryland, said late last year that payments – he suggested $1,500 – would be an “incentive” for people to receive the vaccine.
“The faster we get 75% of this country vaccinated, the faster we end COVID and the sooner everything returns to normal,” Delaney said. “We have to create, in my judgment, an incentive for people to really accelerate their thinking about taking the vaccine.”
This content was originally published here.