Esteemed Representative Pelosi and Senator Schumer,

As Congress works diligently to pass Phase 3 of the Emergency Stimulus Bill, the undersigned parties strongly encourage you and your esteemed colleagues to implement direct payments to the American people that are recurring and universal in nature. Regular, monthly payments for all Americans will provide the most effective, long-lasting relief to people and will ensure they are able to continue to meet their basic needs for the duration of the likely recession caused by Covid-19.

The Need for Regular Payments
The immediate need for direct payments to Americans has gained bipartisan support as one of the most impactful responses to the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 social distancing measures. However, many of the proposals currently being weighed by Congress only offer a one-time, immediate payment to Americans. The parties to this letter believe that a single payment is insufficient to deal with the estimated duration of this public health crisis. While little information is known about how long this crisis will last, the most optimistic estimates assume several months, some estimates report impact for up to a year.

For this reason, the undersigned parties strongly encourage Congress to pass direct payments that are made on a regular, monthly cadence until this health and economic crisis has passed.

The Need for Universal Payments
While means-testing and income ceilings have historically been used as a method of legislating federal financial assistance under a healthy economy, the undersigned parties urge Congress to refrain from the use of means-testing in determining direct citizen payments under Phase 3 of the Emergency Stimulus Bill. The mechanisms for means-testing, such as using 2018 or 2019 tax returns, may fail to account for the current state of an individual’s economic situation as a result of layoffs, furloughs, closures, halted work, or reduced income due to COVID-19 social distancing measures. Implementing new mechanisms and processes to ensure accurate current income data is used for means-testing may delay the distribution of funds. This would have devastating effects for the millions of Americans struggling right now to pay their bills and put food on their tables.

For this reason, the undersigned parties on this letter encourage Congress to pass legislation that supports substantial, monthly payments to all Americans for the duration of this crisis. Failing to do so is a risk that Congress cannot take.