Andrew Yang: ‘Means testing stimulus checks is cruel, bad policy’

“Limiting the income cap for cash relief in this latest stimulus package is a direct attack on the millions of struggling Americans elected officials claim to support — especially those in cities like New York, where higher costs of living are already a burden.

“President Biden was absolutely right — we aren’t in any danger of doing too much, but we can absolutely do too little. Means testing stimulus checks when so many people are hurting isn’t just unnecessarily cruel, it’s bad policy.

“Even before COVID-19 ravaged New York and the country, our nation’s economy was deeply unequal and unsupportive of social mobility, particularly for people of color. Capping this one-time direct payment will once again demonstrate how our government fails to understand and reckon with the structural issues with our economy and the hollowing out of the middle class.

“Sen. Bernie Sanders is absolutely right to raise objections to the arbitrary decision to limit the number of individuals who are deserving of cash relief to those who earn $50,000 instead of $75,000, and I proudly stand with him in doing so.

“A New Yorker earning $75,000 in New York can hardly be considered wealthy. In fact, that individual New Yorker is only considered moderate-, not even middle-, income, using criteria by the City’s Housing and Preservation Development. In a City where the median rent — even after historic price drops this past year — is still $2,000 a month, and where the average square foot per renter in at least three boroughs is only about 350 square feet, we need federal leadership to do more.

“With the New York area contributing 10% of the nominal GDP of American metropolises, members of Congress should be looking to bolster the recovery of New York, not hamper it.”