Pelosi endorses $2,000/month universal basic income. [View all]
During a call with the Democratic whip team Wednesday night, Pelosi and other lawmakers voiced support for including in the next package $2,000 in recurring monthly payments for Americans — a concept known as a universal basic income made popular by former presidential hopeful Andrew Yang.
A source who described the whip call said Pelosi didn’t endorse any specific bill, but Progressive Caucus Co-chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have authored legislation giving every American $2,000 a month for the duration of the crisis, followed by a monthly $1,000 payment for an entire year after the crisis ends. But a plan of that expense is sure to raise concerns from moderate members and fiscal hawks, wary of the impact on deficit spending.
Other items on the Democrats’ priority list include those rejected by Republicans in the earlier fights — things Pelosi has vowed to include this time around. Among them are provisions to protect voting systems ahead of November’s elections, boost funding for the U.S. Postal Service, improve broadband infrastructure in underserved communities and expand worker protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), who represents hard-hit Brooklyn and Queens, has offered a bill that would release “vulnerable” people, including pregnant women and those with health issues, from prison to protect them from COVID-19.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/496511-pelosi-seeks-to-wrangle-caucus-behind-next-covid-bill
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