Will a 'Phase 4' bill mean Republicans and Democrats coming together on infrastructure spending?

As the White House and Congress float the idea of a fourth economic stimulus package to help offset the economic fallout of the novel coronavirus, President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have expressed an interest in having the new bill focus on infrastructure spending.

“Our next bill will lean toward recovery, how we can create good-paying jobs as we go forward, perhaps building the infrastructure of America,” Pelosi said last week.

Trump has long said he wants to focus on investing in America’s infrastructure. He spoke about it during his 2016 presidential campaign and his 2018 State of the Union address.

However, while Republicans held control of Congress they were more focused on repealing the Affordable Care Act than passing infrastructure spending legislation.

After Democrats won the House in the 2018 midterm, they too cited a desire to focus on rebuilding the country’s infrastructure. But any bipartisan planning for that bill was sidelined when freshman Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez released plans for her “Green New Deal,” sending House Republicans, and several members of her own party into a frenzy about the cost and details of the renewable energy plan.

On Tuesday, President Trump tweeted that now “is the time to do out decades long awaited Infrastructure Bill.” He continued that the bill should be “VERY BIG & BOLD,” and called the measure, “Phase 4.” He signaled another $2 trillion in desired spending on the package.