Good Tuesday morning. I'm Jake Sherman and welcome to your political playbook audio briefing.

And I'm Anna Palmer. You'd be forgiven in this time of trouble and distress for wondering whether

your federal government is a complete and utter train wreck. First, they told us they had the coronavirus

under control. Now they tell us hundreds of thousands of people could die. First they told us you need

prolonged physical contact with someone with the virus to be exposed. Now there are reports that the

disease may be transmitted in the air. First they told us only old people where those with severely

compromised immune systems were at risk. Now people of all ages are dropping dead from COVID-19. First, they told us we'd be out of our house by Easter. Now they have us quarantined in our homes, with Virginia suggesting residents can't leave until June. First, they told us we didn't need to cover our mouths in public because it would do no good. Now the CDC says they might recommend it. First, they told

us tests are available, plentiful and easy to get. Now we hear stories almost daily about people

waiting weeks for results. First, they told us they had enough ventilators. Now in New York,

one of the world's most important cities, a top hospital is telling doctors to think more

critically about who to give assistive air to. On phase four, sometimes when confronted by crisis,

Washington has the tendency to turn to the most complicated and least likely solution. So it stands

to reason that after passing its $2 trillion emergency bill last week, congressional leaders are

now talking about a number of proposals that, while popular in theory, have proven

difficult or impossible in the past. Others are talking about taking no further action at all.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested to the New York Times in an interview Monday that phase four

might be time to roll back the limits on state and local tax deductions enacted in the 2017 tax reform

bill, something key to the Republican's chief legislative achievement in Trump's presidency.

Repealing that cap has caused angst in both parties, and on Monday evening, Democrats and Republicans

recoiled at the move. Other Democrats are floating a large-scale infrastructure package.

Infrastructure has become the butt of jokes in the Trump era because of the frequency

with which the administration seems to meaninglessly pivot to it.

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