Sanders proposes giving every U.S. household $2,000 during coronavirus outbreak

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Tuesday a plan to give American households $2,000 a month and for gig economy workers to receive unemployment payouts during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

What he's saying: "In this unprecedented moment, this will require an unprecedented amount of money. My own guess is that we’ll be spending $2 trillion in funding to prevent deaths, job losses, and to avoid an economic catastrophe."

The big picture: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier Tuesday the Trump administration is discussing sending checks to Americans "immediately" to help alleviate the economic impact of the outbreak.

• Conservative economists have called for direct government payments of $1,000 to every American adult, Axios' Alayna Treen notes.
• Mnuchin said the amount of each check "may be a little bit bigger than what's in the press."