(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump called on Congress to provide $2 trillion for U.S. infrastructure, seizing on the coronavirus outbreak to try once again to advance one of his longest-standing priorities.

Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday that timing is good for a massive infrastructure bill -- a measure to fund construction and repairs of roads, bridges, railroads or other public works projects -- because interest rates are close to zero. Trump has long advocated for an infrastructure plan but has never settled on how to finance it.

His new push comes as the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits is forecast to set a record for the second straight week, following 3.28 million in last week’s data. The darkest predictions are for that figure to almost double.

The American Society of Civil Engineers has said more than $2 trillion in additional funding is needed for U.S. infrastructure by 2025 alone. The World Economic Forum this year ranked the U.S. 13th in matters of infrastructure, according to its global competitiveness report. Nations listed higher included Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Japan, Korea and Spain.

The White House and Congress have begun circling the idea of a fourth round of stimulus to combat economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. Both Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have begun floating ideas for such a measure, just days after Trump signed a $2 trillion bill.

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