The Last-resort Scenario

The only scenario where $2,000 rebate checks might become realistic is during an economic emergency.

If the job market deteriorates or unemployment rises sharply, the administration could argue that direct payments are necessary to prevent or mitigate a recession.

“It’s almost like we shouldn’t want stimulus checks to happen because it would be an indicator of something wrong,” Mills said. “This is a break-the-glass, use-in-case-of-emergency tool.”