Given that most economists think the initial package was inadequate to the coming economic shortfall, it’s a good thing that Nancy Pelosi is signaling openness to a second stimulus. But you hope, then, that she’s actually preparing for that possibility. The first stimulus was built in a matter of weeks by a new administration and a shocked Congress. Though the rushed construction might have been appropriate, it’s certainly not the process we’d choose in a perfect world. So if there is a recognition that we might need a second stimulus, the administration and the Congress are actually identifying priorities and thinking through what that will look like now. Maybe the recession eases and the plan ends up sitting on a shelf, but if you need it, it’s there.

Ezra Klein is a former Prospect writer and current editor-in-chief at Vox. His work has appeared in the LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review. He’s been a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and more.