Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked over the budget amount for the second round of coronavirus relief after a brief conference call, and the possibility of a second round of stimulus remains uncertain.

In their first 25-minute conference call in weeks on Thursday (August 27), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows failed to close the $1 trillion gap in the next proposed stimulus bill, CNBC reported.

In addition to overall spending, Democrats and Republicans are at odds over the size and content of federal unemployment assistance, school funding, and other issues. The Trump administration, with the support of the Senate Republican leadership, is participating in the talks on behalf of the Republicans.

Pelosi has said there is "no reason" to negotiate unless there is a willingness to spend more on state and local governments, schools, and relief for the unemployed. Meadows, on the other hand, said he is "not optimistic" that the two sides will reach an agreement until after September.

While Democratic and White House negotiators continue to put off talks, other lawmakers are pressuring Pelosi to move forward. A group of 17 House members from the moderate Blue Dog Coalition signed a letter last week urging party leaders to reopen talks with Republicans to pass a post-presidency funding bill during an impromptu House reconvening late last week, which did not happen.

Groups in both the House and Senate are considering "skinny" bills that would separate the stimulus package, on which Democrats and Republicans are generally in agreement, from other relief proposals on which there is less agreement. Breaking the impasse could pave the way for at least some benefits to reach the American people soon.

Formal bills already introduced in the House and Senate, including the HEROES Act and the HEALS Act, would re-award a $1,200 check to Americans who received benefits under the CARES Act. Both bills would also extend dependent care benefits to college students and adult dependents.

The "skinny" bill, however, focuses on reinstating additional federal unemployment insurance benefits that expired at the end of July. Neither proposal appears to include a stimulus package2.

Meanwhile, most states have filed for temporary federal unemployment checks to be paid on top of state benefits. The $300 increase is based on an executive order issued earlier this month by President Trump, and has already been granted in Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas.

The funds were made available from disaster relief funds already allocated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. However, the additional unemployment benefits will only be available for three weeks, after which states will have to reapply.