With negotiations on the stimulus bill at a stalemate, lawmakers are trying to return to their home districts. They will return by September only if a final decision is made necessary for a vote, as the Senate can proceed with Check 2 of the stimulus package during the Senate recess.

Democrats and White House representatives have been in talks to finalize the next stimulus package, hoping to agree on a bill before lawmakers go on vacation in August. However, negotiations were cut short late last week, leaving the two sides "miles apart" from a solution.

The Senate recess was originally scheduled to begin on August 10, but finally adjourned on Thursday. Senators will return home for the rest of the month unless recalled to vote on the stimulus bill. The next session of the Senate will begin on September 8. House members, meanwhile, have been on recess since the end of July, and will not resume session in Washington until September 14.

However, members of Congress will not automatically convene before then.

"If the Speaker of the House and the Senate Minority Leader ultimately decide to move forward with another package, we need bipartisan agreement to meet for legislative business ahead of schedule," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-PA).

Negotiators have said they do not plan to begin talks again in the coming weeks, although lawmakers could be asked to return to vote on the agreement, which is unlikely.

A second stimulus package is almost guaranteed in the second stimulus bill, as lawmakers and government officials agree on the need to make direct payments to the American people.

Once the infrastructure is in place to process CARES Act checks, the IRS is said to be able to complete payments in one to two weeks.

There are several proposals for stimulus check 2, but the most likely scenario is another payment of $1,200 to those who received benefits under the CARES Act: singles with annual incomes under $75,000 and married people with annual incomes under $150,000.

The differences in the proposals are primarily in the amount of benefits for dependents; legislators generally agree that adult dependents over age 16 should be eligible for some relief. The House's HEROES Act would provide $1,200 per dependent and a maximum of $6,000 per family, while the Senate's HEALS Act would provide $500 per dependent, with no cap.

A third proposal by another group of Senate Republicans would provide $1,000 to individuals and their dependents and lower the income eligibility cap. This proposal would reduce benefits for individuals but potentially increase benefits for families.