Rep. Ilhan Omar introducing 'UBI pilot program to get money in people’s pockets'

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., on Wednesday said she will be introducing a universal basic income (UBI) program "this Congress."

"This is long overdue," the Minnesota congresswoman and "Squad" member said in the Wednesday tweet responding to an article from the Star Tribune about Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's plan to give about 200 low-income families $500 a month over two years using excess American Rescue Plan funds. "Next step: Implementing UBI nationwide," Omar tweeted. "This Congress, I’ll be introducing a UBI pilot program to get money in people’s pockets." The COVID-19 pandemic forced Americans to think about the upsides and downsides of UBI. The Trump administration was first to issue direct $1,200 stimulus payments to individuals in the spring of 2020 as part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act relief bill. The administration then issued $600 stimulus checks in the winter of 2020 when he signed a second $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill.