Policy expert argues further targeting of stimulus checks not really necessary By: Scripps National and last updated 2021-02-08 15:22:49-05 There's a lot of debate about how much and who should get a third round of direct payments from the government. But the back and forth on the issue may not be all that necessary. âItâs rare. When we have the cards set up to actually have a genuinely rapid economic recovery that could push unemployment really low in the next couple of years, I think that might happen, we should seize that opportunity,â said Josh Bivens, Research Director at the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for the low and middle income.