Stimulus Check Update: Joe Biden Makes an Announcement About a May Deadline That Could Impact 2023 Stimulus Checks

The COVID-19 emergency is coming to an official end, which means another stimulus check is less likely.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed people's lives forever, so it's not surprising it resulted in the country officially entering a state of emergency. However, despite the fact that COVID-19 has not been eradicated, life has largely returned to normal for most people.

As the threat of the pandemic waned, the country remained officially in that state of emergency. However, that will soon end. President Joe Biden recently announced that the national and public health emergency declaration would be extended one more time until May 11, 2023 but would terminate after that.

This important announcement could affect the likelihood that you will get another stimulus check deposited into your bank account.

An end to the state of emergency likely means no more COVID-related stimulus payments

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit full force in the United States, this prompted bipartisan action to offer financial help to the public during lockdowns. In fact, both the first and second stimulus checks were supported by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

After Biden took office, however, Republicans largely stopped supporting the idea of more financial relief. In fact, the third stimulus check was passed by Democrats only with no support from lawmakers on the right at all.

Control of Congress has shifted since Biden took office, so it is no longer possible for a fourth check to be authorized without support from both Republicans and Democrats. As a result, it is very unlikely that the federal government would send out another payment unless the pandemic once again presented a grave threat as it did initially.

With the president indicating the emergency declaration is coming to an end, this is a clear signal that experts do not expect the pandemic to ramp up and cause further lockdowns. If COVID-19 is no longer an emergency after May, Congress will have no incentive at all to come together to try to send out a fourth check.

Does this mean stimulus checks are entirely off the table?

Pandemic-related stimulus payments will almost assuredly not be coming once COVID-19 is no longer considered an emergency, but there is still a slim chance that stimulus money could be sent for other reasons.

Stimulus relief has been authorized during recessions in the past, so if economic conditions worsen, it's possible a bipartisan bill could be passed to provide more financial help. This would not be a COVID-19 related payment, though, but would instead be designed to help jumpstart a poor economy if lawmakers believe this extra bit of help is necessary to keep the economy afloat.