Lakewood family among the first to receive $600 stimulus payments

Stimulus payments are beginning to show up in people’s bank accounts, including those right here in Western Washington.

"Out of the blue I got that email notification, like wait, what?!" said Chrisanta Saldavia of Lakewood.

Saldavia was not expecting to see the stimulus money this soon. During the first round of stimulus payments, she had to wait nearly two months before seeing the $1,200.

This time, she received a total of $1,800 that accounts for herself and each of her two sons.

The federal government did not include payment for her youngest son who was just born this year.

"He was born at 28 weeks so he was a very, very little guy," said Saldavia. "He was so small, he was on one of those respirators. The baby can’t even get vaccines, nothing. It’s just been a nightmare, it’s been one thing after another."

Her baby named Daxon Titus is immunocompromised, which has given Saldavia no choice but to stay home, instead of working as a taxi dispatcher like she did before.

"I called up my boyfriend and said we don’t need to borrow money from your mom. That was the last resort, was having to borrow money from somebody and we don’t have to," said Saldavia tearfully. "That makes me, sorry, that makes me feel a lot better you have no idea."

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Congress is battling over raising the stimulus checks to $2,000.

Professor Patrick Schoettmer of Seattle University said the Republicans don’t really want to vote on the bill.

"Unless there’s some surprise last minute maneuvering, I don’t think it’s highly likely that it’s going to pass," said Professor Schoettmer. "What Mitch McConnell was trying to do is come up with some sort of legislation that he can put on the floor that he can make Democrats vote against, so he can say Democrats are against you getting $2,000, instead of Republicans."

Senate Majority Leader McConnell has attached two additional measures to the stimulus bill, that would remove legal protections for tech companies and establish a commission on election fraud, which are both on President Donald Trump’s wish list.  

This debate is happening a mere few days before the new Congress is sworn in on January 3.