Pelosi continues push to get stimulus cash to illegal immigrants with guaranteed income plan

'I think the tax number is an easy entree to many more people who deserve this, who should get this, who are being cut out now — in whatever it is we are putting out there,' Pelosi says

By Nicholas Ballasy

Published: May 1, 2020 3:51pm

Updated: May 1, 2020 11:49pm

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that any guaranteed monthly income plan that Congress works on should apply to illegal immigrants with tax ID numbers.

The IRS issues Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to illegal immigrants and other non-citizens who lack Social Security numbers to allow them to file tax returns. Individuals with ITINs are not eligible for direct stimulus payments in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act that Congress passed.

Earlier this week, Pelosi suggested including guaranteed minimum income for individuals in the next coronavirus stimulus package. She didn't specify the set amount of guaranteed income being considered.

Just the News asked Pelosi if she would extend the guaranteed monthly income to illegal immigrants who file taxes with tax ID numbers.

“I think the tax ID number is an entree for us in such an important way. It seems so simple. It seems so universal in how it has worked and that should be something that would apply,” Pelosi said during a conference call on allowing “mixed status” couples to qualify for stimulus payments in the CARES Act.

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"Any way we go down the path it should apply, whether it's direct payments, whether it’s participation in [Paycheck Protection Program] PPP. But they can participate in PPP, to my understanding. I don’t know if they have.”

Pelosi said that a guaranteed minimum monthly income plan that would apply to non-citizens with tax ID numbers should be considered during the pandemic.

“I just said it’s worthy of consideration. Let’s take up the hearing process to review it and what is the best way to do it,” Pelosi said. “But whatever we do, I think the tax number is an easy entree to many more people who deserve this, who should get this, who are being cut out now – in whatever it is we are putting out there.”

Pelosi joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas in advocating for Congress to allow U.S. citizens who filed joint tax returns with their spouses using tax ID numbers to receive stimulus payments.