Mnuchin keen to seen $1,000 paid to each American adult

The prospect of direct payments to Americans was made clearer on Thursday, with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin saying he was in support of payments of $1,000 per adult and $500 per child in the next three weeks, if Congress backed it.

Support for cash payments to households was rising among lawmakers in Washington, as a method to underpin the country’s economy, which is being brought to its knees by the ongoing response to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

It’s understood the White House is asking for another $1.3trn from Congress, which would include $500bn in payments to households, $150bn for “severely distressed sectors” of the economy, and $50bn in loans to the crippled airline industry.

“The president is determined that we are going to support,” Mnuchin said in reference to the payments on Fox Business.

“We’re really focused on providing liquidity to American businesses and American workers.”

He said it was an “unprecedented situation” where “for good reason”, the government was asking parts of the country to essentially shut down.

Mnuchin added that a second round of payments would be on the table if the emergency continued.