Sen. Duckworth wants stimulus checks for parents of babies born this year

Almost all Americans who qualified for a stimulus check received theirs in the last month, but one key group currently doesn’t meet the criteria for the much-needed relief: new parents.

Since the program, as part of the CARES Act, is based on earnings for the previous year, parents of children born on or after January 1, 2020 have to wait one year to receive $500 per child, money that other eligible parents are already benefitting from.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., — along with a bipartisan group of senators, including Tim Scott, R-S.C., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mike Braun, I-Ind. — has an idea on how to fix it.

The Newborn CARES Act would waive the existing rules and require the Internal Revenue Service to develop a system to provide payments to families with newborns once a Social Security Number is assigned to the child. The senators hope to have their bill included as part of the next CARES package, and would need Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to get on board.

“It’s just common sense, it doesn’t cost any more money which is a big selling point,” Duckworth told NBC News. “Families with newborn babies that are experiencing economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic can’t wait until next year to send in their rent checks or pay for diapers and a new car seat."

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