Biden agrees to narrow eligibility for stimulus checks under pressure from

The change comes as the Senate prepares to take an initial procedural vote to move forward on the bill as early as Wednesday afternoon. Biden and Senate Democratic leaders are scrambling to keep their caucus united since they cannot lose a single Democrat in the 50-50 Senate with Republicans united against the legislation.

Under the plan passed by the House, individuals earning up to $75,000 per year and couples making up to $150,000 per year would qualify for the full $1,400 stimulus payment. The size of the payments then begins to scale down before zeroing out for individuals making $100,000 per year and couples making $200,000.

Under the changes agreed to by Biden and Senate Democratic leadership, individuals earning $75,000 per year and couples earning $150,000 would still receive the full $1,400-per-person benefit. However, the benefit would disappear for individuals earning more than $80,000 annually and couples earning more than $160,000.

That means singles making between $80,000 and $100,000 and couples earning between $160,000 and $200,000 would be newly excluded from a partial benefit under the revised structure Biden agreed to.

The changes were confirmed by a Democratic aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden has always been open to a faster phaseout for higher-earning individuals and “he is comfortable with where the negotiations stand.”

“He is comfortable and knows there will be tweaks on the margin,” Psaki said at the White House press briefing Wednesday. “What his firm viewpoint is, is that it needs to meet the scope of the challenge, it needs to be the size he’s proposed, it needs to have the core components in order to have the impact on the American people.”

The stimulus checks are one element of a wide-ranging package that also includes $350 billion for state and local aide; $130 billion for schools; $160 billion for vaccinations, testing and other health care system support; an enhanced child tax credit and other provisions including rental assistance and food assistance.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) was among those who had called for changing the eligibility levels for checks, telling reporters this week: “I think we could drop it below the $200,000 and still get households that really need it.”

She said she would hope to redirect the savings from that change toward other needs, such as hospitals.

Narrowing eligibility for the stimulus checks was just one change moderates like Shaheen and Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) had been seeking. Several were also eyeing limiting money for state and local governments, and changing the structure of federal unemployment benefits in the bill, to keep them at $300 — their current level — rather than raise them to $400 as proposed by Biden and passed by the House.

Senate Democrats do not intend to adopt the suggested change to unemployment benefits, and they will stay at…