5月12日，加利福尼亚州民主党众议长南希·佩洛西来到华盛顿特区的美国国会大厦，谈论英雄法案，这是一项3万亿美元的法案，旨在帮助从冠状病毒大流行中恢复过来。

500万美元为国会议员购买新的笔记本电脑和其他技术设备。

研究大麻生意多样性的资金。

国家艺术捐赠基金1000万美元，国家人文捐赠基金1000万美元——这是今年早些时候的经济刺激计划中人文捐赠基金7500万美元的基础。

众议院民主党领导人已经制定了一个3万亿美元的冠状病毒刺激计划，其中充满了与抗击致命疾病爆发或帮助受大流行及其经济后果重创的美国人毫无关系的项目。

共和党人猛烈抨击了由民主党众议院议长南希·佩洛西和她所在议院的最高领导人起草的提案，而白宫和共和党领导层没有对此发表意见。

星期五在众议院发言时，众议员弗吉尼亚·福克斯(北卡罗莱纳州)称之为“社会主义愿望清单”

轮到他发言时，众议员乔·威尔森(南卡罗来纳州)说:“荒谬的游行”。

参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(肯塔基州共和党人)和唐纳德·特朗普总统都曾反复发誓，它永远不可能成为法律。

国会三月份在两党支持下批准的2万亿美元救助计划同样包括了与冠状病毒爆发没有直接关系的项目，比如允许食品和药物管理局考虑的条款新的非处方防晒成分。

除了旨在直接帮助国家冠状病毒恢复的项目，如租金援助、学生贷款救助、给美国人的现金支付以及给预算因流感大流行而遭到破坏的州和地方政府的资金，民主党人在最新的1800页提案中纳入的一些优先事项包括5000万美元的“环境正义”拨款，用于研究对穷人和少数民族居民而言环境问题不相称的社区如何受到COVID-19的影响。

另外4000万美元将用于美国地质调查局与野生动物传播疾病相关的研究。这种新型冠状病毒被认为是在人类被感染之前就已经从动物身上开始了。

该法案包含允许在其所在州合法经营的大麻相关企业能够获得银行和保险服务，并资助对大麻行业少数民族和女性企业主准入的研究。根据联邦法律，大麻仍然是非法的。

除了为会员提供新的笔记本电脑之外，用于众议院技术升级的500万美元将用于购买卫星电话、无线热点和卫星带宽扩展，以便国会可以远程工作。

人文和艺术捐赠基金将能够利用其增加的支出提供资助，并覆盖实体无力支付的配套基金。

该法案中至少有500万美元将用于博物馆和图书馆，另有2.5亿美元将用于资助以前被监禁的人和防止再犯。

佩洛西和她的盟友为这一全面的提议辩护，认为这是对前所未有的时代的必要回应。

“有痛苦；有苦难；纽约的民主党党团主席哈基姆·杰弗里斯周五在众议院说。"国会现在必须采取行动。"

账单中包含的其他一些项目:

• 美国农业部研究土壤健康的资金。

• 给法律服务公司5000万美元。

• 州运输部门150亿美元。

• 1亿美元用于渔业。

民主党控制的众议院周五花了大部分时间对该法案进行辩论，预计将在接近党派的投票中通过。

FROM NEW LAPTOPS FOR CONGRESS TO CANNABIS STUDIES, THE NEW STIMULUS BILL FUNDS MANY NON-STIMULUS PROJECTS

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, arrives to speak about The Heroes Act, a $3 trillion bill to aid in recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 12.

Five million dollars for new laptops and other tech equipment for members of Congress.

Money to study diversity in cannabis businesses.

Ten million for the National Endowment for the Arts and another $10 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities—that's on top of the $75 million for the humanities endowment in an earlier stimulus package this year.

House Democratic leaders have put together a $3 trillion coronavirus stimulus package that is chock-full of items that have little connection to combatting the deadly outbreak or helping Americans who have been hit-hard by the pandemic and its economic fallout.

Republicans have slammed the proposal that was drafted by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the top leaders of her chamber without input from the White House or Republican leadership.

Speaking from the House floor Friday, Representative Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) called it a "socialist wish list."

A "parade of absurdities," Representative Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) said when it was his turn to speak.

It has no chance of ever making it into law, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and President Donald Trump have both repeatedly vowed.

A $2 trillion relief package that Congress approved in March with bipartisan support similarly included items not directly related to the coronavirus outbreak, like a provision to allow Food and Drug Administration to consider new over-the-counter sunscreen ingredients.

Aside from items intended to directly aid the nation's coronavirus recovery like rental assistance, student loan bailouts, cash payments to Americans and money for state and local governments whose budgets have been wrecked by the pandemic, some of the priorities that Democrats tucked into the latest 1,800-page proposal include $50 million in "environmental justice" grants to study how communities with disproportionate environmental issues for poor and minority residents were impacted by COVID-19.

Another $40 million would go the U.S. Geological Survey for research related to wildlife-borne disease. The novel coronavirus is believed to have begun with animals before humans were infected.

The bill contains language to allow cannabis-related businesses that operate legally in their states to be able to secure banking and insurance services, and funds research into access for minority and women business owners in the cannabis industry. Cannabis is still illegal under federal law.

In addition to new laptops for members, the $5 million for House technology upgrades would cover the purchase of satellite phone, Wi-Fi Hotspots and satellite bandwidth expansion so Congress can work remotely.

The humanities and arts endowments would be able to use their boosted spending to provide grants and cover matching funds that entities aren't able to pay themselves.

At least $5 million in the bill would go to museums and libraries, while $250 million would be set aside for grants to help formerly incarcerated people and prevent recidivism.

Pelosi and her allies have defended the sweeping proposal as a necessary response to unprecedented times.

"There is pain; there is suffering; there is death throughout the land," Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, said on the House floor Friday. "Congress must act now."

Some other items included in the bill:

• Money for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study soil health.

• $50 million for the Legal Services Corporation.

• $15 billion for state transportation departments.

• $100 million for fisheries.

The Democrat-controlled House spent much of Friday debating the bill and was expected to pass it on a near party-line vote.