Trump administration officials envision as much as US$1 trillion in the next round of economic stimulus, though they have delayed those discussions scheduled for this week, according to people familiar with the matter.

Top aides had planned to meet this week to discuss the next round of pandemic relief as more than 40 million people have lost jobs since states began restricting public activity in March.

That meeting has been removed from the calender and has not been rescheduled yet, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The White House has been consumed this week with protests sweeping the nation over police brutality following the death in police custody of a black man in Minneapolis. Senate Republicans had no plans to act on a stimulus bill this month.

Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has told White House officials behind closed doors that another round of fiscal stimulus from Congress could be just under US$1 trillion, a figure that administration officials are comfortable with, the people said.

McConnell’s office declined to comment. A White House spokesman did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

McConnell has said that there are no plans to do a stimulus bill before the July 3 two-week recess, leaving action on any such measure after July 20.

As business reopenings have picked up nationwide, Americans have continued filing for unemployment benefits, although those applications have slowed, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The House last month passed a US$3.5 trillion relief measure with nearly US$1 trillion in aid for states and local governments facing revenue shortfalls. That bill would also provide a new round of direct stimulus payments to individuals along with money for testing and contact tracing.