Biden to make 3rd round of stimulus a top priority

TAMPA, Fla. - As President-elect Biden prepares to take office, he's made it clear that a third round of stimulus payments is one of his top priorities, but there are still questions as to when Americans could see the payments and who will be eligible.

"The possibility that a new round of stimulus will pass is a little better than 50/50," UCF Political Science Professor Aubrey Jewett said.

It'll all come down to the U.S. Senate according to Jewett.

"It's not a for-sure thing, but it's not a dead-on-arrival thing either in Congress. It is one of the top priorities of Joe Biden," Jewett said.

$1,400 payments to qualifying Americans is a main piece of President-Elect Biden's $1.9-trillion coronavirus relief plan. If passed, it means individuals who made less than $75,000, according to their 2019 tax filing, would get the payments. It also means people who made less than $75,000 in 2020, but more than that in 2019 still wouldn't qualify.

"A number of senators, including Republican senators, would like to see more money in the pockets of average Americans," Jewett said.

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As she explains, it's what we saw with the second round of payments, which is when senators voted 92 to 6 for a round of $600 stimulus checks.

Despite Democrats holding the majority in the Senate, it still doesn't mean Biden's plan would pass because opposing senators could hold a filibuster, which requires a 60-vote majority to end.

"The bottom line is, I do think it's a reasonable possibility that we will see another round of stimulus. What it looks like I don't know, but I think there's pretty good chance it would pass both the House and the Senate," Jewett added.