Eleven months into the pandemic, Nina Scott is running through her savings like crazy. Scott is a longtime chef who recently lost her job at a Michigan country club. With ageism working against her she is in her 60s and few opportunities in an industry crushed by the pandemic, shes not sure how much longer her safety net will hold.

If I dont have a job by April, Ill be in real trouble, she said.

A $1,400 check from the new stimulus bill being negotiated in Congress would help, but theres a problem: The last time Scott filed her taxes, she earned $56,000, above the threshold at which a key group of lawmakers are considering reducing the next round of stimulus checks.

As Democrats race to flesh out President Joe Biden s $1.9 trillion stimulus proposal, the question of which households truly need another stimulus check has dominated the negotiations. One proposal, from a group of senators who oppose sending checks to anyone they consider an upper income taxpayer, would scale back eligibility for the $1,400 payments, compared to who was eligible for previous rounds of stimulus checks. They want to eliminate checks for individuals making more than $75,000 and households earning more than $150,000. Their proposal would also gradually reduce the amount of money received by individuals earning more than $50,000 and couples earning more than $100,000.