House Democrats want infrastructure to be part of a fourth coronavirus bill, but they need Republican support first.
The House and Senate likely won’t return to Capitol Hill until April 20 at the earliest, but that’s not stopping House Democrats from thinking about a fourth coronavirus stimulus package.
One major initiative Democrats are already contemplating is an infrastructure bill, particularly related to coronavirus recovery. A list could include expanding America’s broadband and 5G internet to allow more Americans to work from home; modernizing hospitals and community health care centers; and updating crumbling water pipelines.
“The fourth bill would be about recovery,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters on a Monday press call. “We would like to see in what comes next something that has always been nonpartisan … and that would be an infrastructure piece that takes us into the future.”
Pelosi and two House committee chairs — House Energy and Commerce Committee chair Frank Pallone and House Committee on Education and Labor chair Bobby Scott — laid out a number of priorities they plan to work toward in the coming weeks, including more protective equipment and increased health and safety regulations for doctors and nurses, and other essential workers like grocery store workers and pharmacists. Democrats also continued to push for free coronavirus treatment for everyone, including the uninsured.
“I guarantee you you’re going to get some surprise bills, whoppers,” Scott said, nodding to the high cost of a visit to the emergency room or long-term intensive care. “The average family is going to be bankrupt, even if they have insurance.”
Of course, in order to have a bill go anywhere, Pelosi would need buy-in from the Trump administration before she could get cooperation from the Republican-controlled Senate. Having just passed a historic $2 trillion bill, Republicans right now seem reluctant to spend much more.
“I’m not sure you need a fourth package,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said this weekend on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
The three influential House leaders also talked about where they think Democrats and Republicans could agree on another potentially costly stimulus package. Pelosi repeatedly came back to infrastructure, noting that it is one of the priorities Democrats share with President Donald Trump.
“In terms of recovery, that’s probably the most bipartisan path we could take,” Pelosi said. “Infrastructure’s never been a partisan issue, ever. It’s a public health issue, actually: clean air, clean water. In addition to that, it’s an economic issue, it’s a job issue.”
Pelosi emphasized to reporters that the House is in the very early phases of gathering ideas for a fourth coronavirus bill. The legislation is yet to be drafted, but the House speaker added she’d like something ready to go when Congress returns next month.
“I do think it is important that as soon as we’re here, we’re ready to pass legislation,” Pelosi said. “I’d not suspect we’d have any bipartisan legislation before we return.”
Here’s what’s on House Democrats’ list of ideas that could show up in an eventual draft:
“It is absolutely essential that legislation is required,” Pelosi said. “If we fail to act, we will be making the situation even more dangerous.”
“We need more community health centers in rural areas,” Pallone said, highlighting one of the ways Congress could improve America’s health infrastructure after the coronavirus crisis subsides.
Democrats are in the earliest stages of brainstorming ideas for a next coronavirus package, and it’s too early to tell whether Republicans will get on board. But this gives us an outline of what to expect from Democratic leaders going forward.
Author: Ella Nilsen
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