Democrats Cut Off Relief Checks at $200,000 Household Income (1)

House Democrats are proposing to limit the next round of Covid-19 relief payments to households earning less than $200,000, after criticism that President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package would benefit the rich.

Draft legislation released Monday by the House Ways and Means Committee calls for $1,400 payments for single people earning $75,000 or married couples earning $150,000. The checks completely phase out for individuals making $100,000 or joint taxpayers making $200,000.

The payments scale down more quickly than previous rounds, where the top levels were determined by the size of the payment and the number of children in ...