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Democrats have started laying out priorities for additional legislation, but lawmakers are indicating that Congress is at least a few weeks away from making significant progress.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks about the congressional response to the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday in Washington.
CONGRESS IS FORGING ahead on the initial stages of crafting a fourth piece of legislation to address the coronavirus pandemic even as leaders signal that it'll be at least a few weeks before major steps are taken in order to examine the effect of prior bills and assess the state of the outbreak.
Days after a historic $2.2 trillion rescue package passed both chambers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California laid out Democrats' priorities for "phase 4" which include additional direct payments to Americans, expanded food assistance programs and paid sick leave. She said a fourth bill would be focused on recovery from a virus that has spread to at least 206,000 people in the U.S. and has sent a strong economy spiraling with record unemployment claims.
On a Wednesday call, Pelosi discussed legislation that could heavily center on spending for infrastructure projects, which has been a legislative priority that Democrats share with President Donald Trump but one that has stalled over the past year. Democrats argue that new projects will help create jobs at a time when Americans are seeing mass layoffs and furloughs. The spending would also provide a boost to community health centers and expand broadband for employees working remotely, children learning at home and patients receiving medical attention by phone.
Democrats are also looking to expand vote-by-mail as more states postpone primaries until June and strategists assess the longevity of the outbreak that could threaten the November general election. Election and voting rights advocates were disappointed by the $400 million allocated in the previous rescue package to help states bolster vote-by-mail. But Pelosi said Wednesday that in order to increase access to voting, at least $2 billion would be needed to implement a vote-by-mail operation on a more national scale.
Pelosi and House Democrats also want to build on some of the provisions addressed in the mammoth relief bill signed into law last Friday. She wants additional money sent to Americans on top of the $1,200 checks that will be sent to many individuals in the next few weeks. Pelosi also wants more funding for states and localities dealing with a spike in confirmed cases and facing critical gaps in personal protective equipment, medical supplies and hospital beds.
[MAP: The Spread of Coronavirus]
The timeline for hashing out and passing new legislation remains uncertain as members monitor the spread of the outbreak. But Pelosi suggested that Congress would be able to make more progress once returning from an extended recess that currently stretches until later this month.
"I think we come back April 20th – God willing, coronavirus willing – and shortly thereafter we should be able to move forward," Pelosi said Wednesday.
A fourth relief bill will take longer than the other three measures passed to combat the virus. Despite partisan bickering, Congress passed three coronavirus relief measures within less than a month including the $2.2 trillion rescue package, which was the largest spending bill in history. But lawmakers anticipate a much slower process for any bills going forward as they weigh next steps and implement changes from the earlier packages.
Republicans have acknowledged the likelihood of additional legislation, but want some time to measure how Americans and businesses are benefiting from their latest measure.
And while partisan bickering is certain to continue, at least for now, Democrats and the White House appear to have some common ground on moving towards infrastructure reform.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who played a central role in negotiating the previous coronavirus bills with Congress, told CNBC on Wednesday that he's having "ongoing conversations" with House Democrats about infrastructure. And Trump has tweeted his support for Congress pursuing a massive infrastructure bill as part of "phase 4."
"With interest rates for the United States being at ZERO, this is the time to do our decades long awaited Infrastructure Bill," Trump tweeted Tuesday. "It should be VERY BIG & BOLD, Two Trillion Dollars, and be focused solely on jobs and rebuilding the once great infrastructure of our Country! Phase 4."