As Senate Republicans unveiled a trillion-dollar stimulus plan for the ongoing coronavirus crisis that would cut taxes for corporations and deny aid to the poorest Americans, the leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to advance a bold alternative that includes monthly cash payments, a nationwide moratorium on all evictions, and other solutions.

"This is a pivotal moment for our healthcare system and our economy," Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chairs of the Progressive Caucus, said in a statement. "We need to give workers the financial resources to stay healthy and ensure our health system is equipped to provide life-saving, universal care to everyone in our country."

"We need to give workers the financial resources to stay healthy and ensure our health system is equipped to provide life-saving, universal care to everyone in our country."

—Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Mark Pocan

In a letter (pdf) to Pelosi on Thursday, Jayapal and Pocan outlined a dozen policy priorities they said must be included in any stimulus package to ensure adequate relief for individuals and families harmed by the coronavirus-induced economic crisis.

"We provide urgent recommendations for legislative action to address the gravity of this moment and provide economic security and peace of mind to families at this critical time," said Jayapal and Pocan.

Among the progressive leaders' demands are monthly cash payments of up to $2,000 for each adult and up an additional $1,000 for families with children for up to six months, with eligibility based on income.

As Common Dreams reported on Wednesday, Pelosi has thus far refused to support direct cash payments as a way to put more money into the pockets of Americans during the worsening economic downturn.

In an interview with The Atlantic on Thursday, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), a member of the Progressive Caucus, criticized Pelosi for supporting tools like refundable tax credits over direct cash payments.

"That is too slow in my opinion," Porter said. "We need to get actual cash assistance to American families right now."

"The fact that the Speaker's talking about refundable tax credits... Who has time to wait to do their taxes and see what they get a year from now?" Porter asked.

Jayapal and Pocan also called on Pelosi to support an immediate nationwide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, a ban on stock buybacks for any companies that receive taxpayer bailout funds, cash assistance to small businesses and non-profits, and free coronavirus testing and treatment for everyone in the United States.

This moment requires BIG and BOLD action to ensure we provide health & economic security of every single person in this country and put #PeopleOverProfits. Grateful to @RepJayapal and @repmarkpocan for their leadership of the progressive caucus in the U.S. House. https://t.co/rq6MXOciv1 — MoveOn (@MoveOn) March 20, 2020

The progressives' demands came after Pelosi on Wednesday instructed her leadership team and House committee chairs to begin crafting a counter-offer to Senate Republicans' proposal, which would provide means-tested cash payments to many individuals and families, excluding the poorest Americans and individuals earning $99,000 a year or more.

"The fact that the Speaker's talking about refundable tax credits... Who has time to wait to do their taxes and see what they get a year from now?"

—Rep. Katie Porter

In a joint statement Thursday night, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) dismissed the GOP plan as far too friendly to corporate America.

"It is not at all pro-worker and instead puts corporations way ahead of workers," Pelosi and Schumer said.

Pelosi is expected to unveil the House counter-proposal in the coming days, according to Politico.

Josh Bivens, director of research at the Economic Policy Institute, wrote in a blog post Friday that "the likely cost of a fiscal boost sufficient to restore economic health by the end of 2020 starts at $2.1 trillion—but it could be more, and fiscal policy should be set to deliver more if conditions warrant."

"The risk of going too small on stimulus is large and scary," Bivens argued, "while the risk of going too big is almost nonexistent."

Read Jayapal and Pocan's full letter below: