众议院民主党人正在推动通过另一项针对美国人的紧急救助计划，其中包括额外的直接支付、对小企业的更多援助以及扩大失业福利。

个人还没有收到他们的第一张支票2万亿美元的刺激这在上个月成为法律，但是随着失业人数打破记录，经济学家警告冠状病毒的流行可能会使经济陷入另一次大萧条，众议院民主党人正在计划雄心勃勃的新立法，他们称之为“关心2”，他们的目标是在月底通过。

众议院议长南希·佩洛西(D-California)在周末给其他众议院议员的信中写道，“关心2”必须进一步帮助包括农民在内的小企业，扩大和加强失业福利，并向家庭提供额外的直接补贴。“我们的社区等不起，我们必须迅速行动。”

新的立法将意味着对家庭和个人的新一轮检查；更多的小企业贷款，其中一部分可以免除；并且延长联邦政府每周600美元的失业补助，这是在州福利之外的，目前只持续六周。

参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)周一表示:“我认为我们肯定需要一个[第四阶段”，我认为这个阶段必须大而大胆，因为这个问题非常独特。他告诉记者，他已经和佩洛西谈过另一个方案。

推动另一项大规模刺激计划标志着佩洛西和众议院民主党领导层的改变，直到上周，众议院一直主张一项刺激计划以基础设施为中心的“第4阶段”包。佩洛西周末给同事的信没有提到基础设施。

但是来自共和党的强烈反对他批评民主党希望纳入与冠状病毒对经济影响无关的举措，严峻的就业数据似乎是民主党转变的催化剂。在3月份的最后两周，大约有1000万人申请失业，而最新的就业报告——不包括本月最后两周创纪录的失业申请——显示超过70万人失业。前美联储主席珍妮特·耶伦将于周一下午向众议院民主党议员介绍经济状况。

2020年4月1日，美国有线电视新闻网采访了众议院议长南希·佩洛西(D-CA)，她询问了政府对正在国会大厦圆形大厅进行的全球冠状病毒大流行的反应。佩洛西告诉主持人安德森·库珀，联邦政府需要给州和地方政府更多的财政援助来应对COVID-19。“总统刚刚签署的法案中有1500亿美元。不幸的是，这根本不够，”她说。

共和党人将佩洛西的转变描述为从“自由主义愿望清单”中“撤退”

参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(共和党参议员)说:“[·佩洛西(共和党参议员)需要放弃这样一种想法，即我们将利用危机去做与危机无关的事情。”。)告知华盛顿邮报上周。

共和党人还强调，他们认为，第三阶段2万亿美元的法案需要首先得到全面实施，以确定国会应该在随后的任何立法中解决什么问题，白宫的一些人也在倡导这一立场。

特朗普的高级经济顾问拉里·库德洛周一告诉记者:“通过失业保险、直接支票、小企业贷款和贷款担保、[联邦储备局的紧急融资机制，1.75亿人得到了援助。”。“我们的工作是执行。让我们把它弄出来。如果我们需要更多，我们会要求更多。”

然而，在周一晚间的白宫冠状病毒简报会上，唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统支持佩洛西(Pelosi)提出的向美国人进行另一轮直接支付的提议，称这一想法“绝对在认真考虑之中”

特朗普过去曾表示支持2万亿美元的基础设施法案，他周一重申了这一立场。他在基础设施方面的努力与民主党人的不同之处在于，他希望资助传统项目，比如重建道路和桥梁，而民主党人则希望通过数字升级将美国人远程连接起来，比如宽带和5G。

佩洛西“本月晚些时候”通过另一项经济刺激计划的举措将是困难的，尽管并非不可能。最早，立法者可以在4月20日这一周返回首都。但是，由于只能进行电话会议，而议员们继续在自己的选区保持社交距离，而且没有远程投票系统，正常立法活动进行的缓慢步伐进一步放缓。

“冠状病毒危机的加速要求我们继续立法，”佩洛西在她的信中写道。

特朗普总统在周一晚间的新闻发布会上发表的言论更新了这篇报道。

AMERICANS COULD GET MORE MONEY, UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN DEMOCRATS' NEXT STIMULUS BILL

House Democrats are pushing to pass another emergency relief package for Americans, one that would include additional direct payments, more assistance for small businesses and an expansion of unemployment benefits.

Individuals have yet to receive their first checks under the $2 trillion stimulus that became law last month, but as unemployment numbers are breaking records and economists warn the coronavirus pandemic could plunge the economy into another Great Depression, House Democrats are planning ambitious, new legislation they've dubbed "CARES 2" that they aim to pass by month's end.

"CARES 2 must go further in assisting small businesses including farmers, extending and strengthening unemployment benefits and giving families additional direct payments," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wrote in letter to other House members over the weekend. "Our communities cannot afford to wait, and we must move quickly."

The new legislation would mean another round of checks for families and individuals; more small business loans, portions of which can be forgiven; and extending the federal government's unemployment supplement of $600 per week, which is on top of state benefits and currently only lasts for up to six weeks.

"I think we're gonna definitely need a [Phase 4], and I think it's gonna have to be big and bold because the problem is so unique," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Monday, who told reporters he's spoken with Pelosi about another package.

The push for another massive stimulus marks a change for Pelosi and Democratic leadership in the House, which until last week was advocating for an infrastructure-centered "Phase 4" package. Pelosi's weekend letter to her colleagues made no reference to infrastructure.

But fierce opposition from Republicans, who criticized Democrats for wanting to include initiatives unrelated to the coronavirus' impact on the economy, and grim jobs numbers appeared to be the catalyst for Democrats' shift. Roughly 10 million people filed for unemployment in the last two weeks in March while the latest jobs report—which doesn't include the month's final two weeks of record unemployment claims—showed more than 700,000 jobs were lost. Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen will give House Democrats a members-only briefing Monday afternoon about the state of the economy.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is interviewed by CNN about the government response to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 1, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Pelosi told host Anderson Cooper that the federal government needs to give more financial help to state and local governments dealing with COVID-19. "We had $150 billion in the bill that the President just signed. That is simply not enough, unfortunately," she said. 

Republicans have characterized Pelosi's shift as a "retreat" from a "liberal wish list."

"[Pelosi] needs to stand down on the notion that we're going to go along with taking advantage of the crisis to do things that are unrelated to the crisis," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told The Washington Post last week.

Republicans have also emphasized their belief that the Phase 3, $2 trillion bill needs to first be fully implemented to identify what Congress should address in any subsequent legislation, a position some at the White House are also advocating.

"You've got assistance going out to 175 million people through unemployment insurance, direct checks, small business loans and loan guarantees, emergency funding mechanism with the [Federal Reserve]," top Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters Monday. "Our job is to execute. Let's get it out. If we need more, we'll ask for more."

However, President Donald Trump endorsed Pelosi's push for another direct round of payments to Americans at a White House coronavirus briefing Monday evening, saying the idea is "absolutely under serious consideration."

Trump has expressed past support for a $2 trillion infrastructure bill, a position he reiterated Monday. His infrastructure push has differed from Democrats' in the sense that he wants to fund traditional projects, like rebuilding roads and bridges, while Democrats wanted digital upgrades to connect Americans remotely, such as with broadband and 5G.

Pelosi's move to have another economic stimulus passed "later this month" will be difficult, though not impossible. At the earliest, lawmakers could return to the nation's capital the week of April 20. But with the ability to only conduct conference calls while members continue to social distance in their home districts and no system to vote remotely, the sluggish pace at which normal legislative activity is conducted is further slowed.

"The acceleration of the coronavirus crisis demands that we continue to legislate," Pelosi wrote in her letter.

This story was updated with remarks made by President Trump at a Monday evening press conference.