A few weeks ago in Georgia, President Biden promised voters that if they voted for Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff and flipped the Senate blue, they'd be getting $2,000 stimulus checks. As Forbes reported at the time, "Biden's Final Pitch To Georgia: Vote Blue and $2,000 Checks Will 'Go Out the Door Immediately.'" Fast forward to this week, and the president is not exactly delivering. Because included in his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan are payments of $1,400.
A reporter pressed Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the mixed messaging at Wednesday's press briefing.
Great Question!
— The Columbia Bugle ???? (@ColumbiaBugle) February 3, 2021
"During the GA runoffs, President Biden campaigned specifically on $2k stimulus checks. Obviously, as we have discussed the payment is $1400, there doesn't seem to be an active discussion on actually raising that amount. So is that a broken promise to voters?" pic.twitter.com/txESOTNvcx
"During the Georgia runoffs, President Biden campaigned specifically on $2,000 stimulus checks," she asked. "Obviously, as we have discussed the payment is $1,400, there doesn't seem to be an active discussion on actually raising that amount. So is that a broken promise to voters who may have been expecting $2,000 checks?"
Psaki did the best spin she could with her answer, suggesting that the $600 stimulus checks sent out starting last month were a down payment.
"There was $600 payments, as you know, in the $900 billion package that passed in December," she replied. "This is $1,400, together that's $2,000. So it would be delivering on the promise he made."
Social media users hopped on Twitter to fact check her. As much as they appreciated Psaki's math skills, they said there was no getting around that this was a broken promise.
@WhiteHouse @PressSec @BernieSanders If the President targets or reduces individual Americans stimulus/relief payments it will be a broken promise! Why do citizens always seem to come in last with our elected representatives? #DoTheRightThing $2,000 was promised!
— RedFoxBlueDream8 (@SandraH55299000) February 3, 2021
As much as I like Jen, she’s wrong. Biden ran on $2,000. Not $1,400. The $600 was not during his Presidency. The $1,400 is indeed a broken promise.
— Mark (@mark_1238) February 3, 2021
Starting at 1,400 dollars is already a broken promise. There are plenty of quotes of him saying 2,000 dollar checks... not 1,400 to be added to the 600.
— Grant Walker (@GWalk84) February 3, 2021
And now Biden says that anything less than the $1,400 checks being discussed would be a broken promise.