WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEXSTAR) – Days after President Trump signed a $2-trillion economic stimulus package in response to the coronavirus, Congress is onto the next phase.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the next coronavirus bill will focus on modernizing America’s infrastructure.
Pelosi says ‘Phase 4’ should fund improvements to broadband internet, access to clean water, health centers and Americas bridges and roads.
“We couldn’t get everything we wanted in the other bill, let’s go down this path,” Pelosi said.
The president says he wants to avoid some of the speaker’s “Green New Deal” spending, but he’s on board with a big infrastructure bill.
“I’m suggesting two trillion dollars, we redo our roads, our highways, our bridges. We fix up our tunnels,” Trump said.
And while some Republicans are hesitant about the price, not President Trump.
“Wouldn’t this be a great time to borrow at zero interest rate and really build our infrastructure like we can do it,” Trump said.
Many California lawmakers say they already have their eyes on specific infrastructure projects and they support using ‘Phase 4’ dollars to get them done.
“Look, I welcome the President wanting to do infrastructure,” Representative Eric Swalwell, D-California, said.
Congressman Eric Swalwell says he’d recommend funding for road and rail projects to better connect northern and central California.
“We’re trying to work on that project, and dollars for that to put people to work, to come out of this economy,” Swalwell said.
With Congress out of session and sheltering in place like the rest of us, Speaker Pelosi says it’ll likely be mid-April before Congress can begin serious face to face negotiations.