Stimulus Check Update: Almost 2.5 Million People Have Now Signed a Petition for a Fourth Stimulus Check

Demand is high for a fourth stimulus check, but will it happen?

Months have now passed since President Joe Biden signed a stimulus bill authorizing a third direct payment to be deposited into Americans' bank accounts. For many Americans, the money is long gone and more help is still desperately needed.

In fact, calls for a fourth stimulus check have been plentiful. And now, close to 2.5 million people have signed a Change.org petition calling for ongoing payments of $2,000 per month. The petition, which includes the hashtag #moneyforthepeople is one of the top petitions on Change.org and its creator has set a goal of achieving 3 million signatures.

The sheer number of people who have already signed on to the request for additional funds is a good indicator that there's a lot of demand for a fourth payment. But the big question is, will public support for a fourth stimulus check translate into action on the part of lawmakers?

Millions of Americans request more stimulus money

The Change.org petition was initially created during the heart of the pandemic. It called on Congress to provide payments of $2,000 per adult and $1,000 per child. The petition also requested that these stimulus payments be provided on an ongoing basis in order to help ensure people could afford to pay rent and put food on the table.

A subsequent update to the petition commented that the country was still "deeply struggling," and pointed out that many Americans were still without work and hadn't yet benefited from the recovery that is underway.

Many of the people who signed the petition personally spoke of the challenges they were facing, including an inability to qualify for unemployment benefits and a desire to take care of people who had lost their jobs or work opportunities.

Americans have continued to add their signatures more than a year after the petition was originally created. In fact, some people added their names as recently as today. The number of signatories now tops 2.49 million and as one of the top petitions on Change.org, it stands a real chance of reaching its goal of three million signers.

Unfortunately, more checks aren't likely

Despite the demand for more payments from Americans who may be facing continued financial struggles, lawmakers are unlikely to move forward with another stimulus check.

While Biden's press secretary expressed that the president was willing to consider a wide range of ideas to help the public, she also made clear that the administration was focused on other ways to help people and that another stimulus check was no longer a top priority. Republicans are also opposed to another payment, which makes passage more difficult.

The good news for some people awaiting relief from the government, though, is that parents may soon see deposits in their bank accounts due to the expanded Child Tax Credit that was included in the last stimulus bill. Although these payments won't be available to everyone, they will still provide financial help to millions beginning in mid-July.