Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi GabbardRepublicans call on DOJ to investigate Netflix over 'Cuties' film Hispanic Caucus campaign arm endorses slate of non-Hispanic candidates Gabbard says she 'was not invited to participate in any way' in Democratic convention MORE (D-Hawaii) called for introducing a universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 a month until coronavirus "no longer presents a public health emergency."

"Most Americans don't have that safety emergency bank account even for a short term, what to speak of if you're talking about weeks, or in this case people are looking at potentially months," Gabbard said in an interview on Hill.TV.

Her proposal, H.R. 897, would give a UBI of $1,000 per month to all adult Americans “until COVID-19 no longer presents a public health emergency.”

The idea of a UBI of $1,000 a month was made popular by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang Andrew YangDoctor who allegedly assaulted Evelyn Yang arrested on federal charges The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden weighs in on police shootings | Who's moderating the debates | Trump trails in post-convention polls Buttigieg launches his own podcast MORE, who made the program a centerpiece of his campaign.

Coronavirus has killed at least 40 Americans and there are more than 1,700 cases nationwide as of Friday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The spread of the virus has sparked wide concerns about the economy, leading to the cancellation of numerous events and conferences.

Gabbard remains in the presidential though her campaign is widely seen as unviable. Former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenSenate Republicans face tough decision on replacing Ginsburg What Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies Biden says Ginsburg successor should be picked by candidate who wins on Nov. 3 MORE has built a wide lead in the delegate count for the Democratic nomination followed by his chief rival Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 Biden's fiscal program: What is the likely market impact? McConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security MORE (I-Vt.).