Obama backs second round of payments

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday he wants seniors, veterans and disabled people to get $250 checks in 2010 to help make ends meet.

Obama said Congress should approve the $13 billion in additional economic recovery payments to 57 million Americans because those segments of U.S. society have not recovered from their recession-caused losses.

"Even as we seek to bring about recovery, we must act on behalf of those hardest hit by this recession," the president said in a statement issued by the White House. "That is why I am announcing my support for an additional $250 in emergency recovery assistance to seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities to help them make it through these difficult times."

The White House said the president's proposal would mean checks would go out to 49 million on Social Security, 5 million receiving Supplemental Security Income benefits, 2 million veterans, 500,000 railroad retirement and disability beneficiaries, and about 1 million public-employee retirees who didn't receive previous benefits.

There would be no so-called double-dipping -- people would be allowed to collect only one payment regardless of whether they qualified under more than one category, the White House said. Those receiving the Making Work Pay tax credit also would be excluded.

The White House said Obama also is committed to ensuring the cost of the proposal does not reduce the solvency of Social Security or other social insurance programs.

The initial payments were approved under the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, otherwise known as the stimulus bill, and were given to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients to help make up the loss of retirement savings in the stock market crash.