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Biden will propose another COVID-19 stimulus check when he takes office

The president-elect says the amount of the checks will be up for negotiation.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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Corinne Reichert
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Biden wants to get a third stimulus package through.

Sarah Tew/CNET

US President-elect Joe Biden said he'll be proposing a new round of stimulus checks to address fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, once he takes office in January. The announcement came during Biden's remarks criticizing current President Donald Trump's handling of the SolarWinds hack.

The amount to be in Biden's proposed stimulus package is "a negotiating issue," he told journalists Tuesday.

Read more: $600 second stimulus check passed Congress. Would your payment group be first or last?

Biden thanked Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Republicans for agreeing on a stimulus package, despite the limit on  included checks being $600 rather than the $1,200 originally sought by the Democrats.

"I think we've seen that there is a clear understanding that these issues go beyond any ideology," Biden said. "People are desperately hurting, and the Republicans are hurting as badly as Democrats."

The Biden administration will be focused on distributing the COVID-19 vaccine across the nation, looking after those who've lost their jobs and rebuilding the country and the economy, he said.

The second stimulus bill passed Congress on Monday, including a check for up to $600 per person. Since it's a smaller check than the $1,200 provided as part of the stimulus package back in March, there's been talk about the possibility of a third check in 2021 following the passage of another bill.

Read more: COVID-19 vaccine: Hidden costs, where to get it, vaccination cards, more