Stimulus negotiations between Democrats and White House officials have stalled, leaving many Americans uncertain as to when they will receive their $1,200 checks.

Senate Republicans are even considering a proposal that would make no direct payments at all. However, even if Stimulus Check 2 is approved, some fear that cuts to the U.S. Postal Service will further delay the bailout.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has come under fire in recent weeks for proposing and implementing USPS cost-cutting measures, including shutting down mailboxes and sorting machines and cutting overtime pay.

DeJoy has said that he will suspend these controversial changes until November to minimize the impact on postal voting and other critical postal services, but it is not certain whether a slowdown will occur in the coming months anyway. [CNBC reports that about 80% of the stimulus payments will be paid by direct deposit rather than check. But for the 20% of Americans who receive their payments by mail, even a small delay could be detrimental.

Funding for the USPS is being considered by members of both the House and Senate. House lawmakers will return to Washington from their hometowns later this week to vote on a $25 billion bailout package, while a new Senate Republican proposal would provide $10 billion for the Postal Service as part of a larger stimulus bill.

Democrats and White House officials broke off talks almost two weeks ago, and there is no clear plan to return to stimulus negotiations. All parties generally agreed on the need for Stimulus Check 2, and various proposals to provide an additional $1,200 to Americans who received benefits under the earlier CARES Act have been circulating in the House and Senate.

However, because the two sides disagreed on the amount of federal unemployment benefits and the total cost of the bailout, a small group of Senate Republicans introduced a bill that would exclude stimulus 2 entirely.

The "skinny" bill would allow unemployed individuals to receive $300 per week in unemployment compensation through the end of the year, but would not provide direct lump-sum payments to other Americans.

Both major stimulus check 2 bills would provide an additional $1,200 to low- and moderate-income individuals who qualify for relief under the CARES Act. In addition, there are additional benefits for families with dependents of any age, as well as children under age 16.

The House-approved HEROES Act provides an additional $1,200 per dependent, up to a maximum of $6,000 per family, while the Senate Republican HEALS Act provides $500 per dependent, with no cap on benefits.