Karl W. Smith, Columnist

The Fed’s Response to the Coronavirus Doesn’t Go Far Enough

The emergency measures the White House is considering are also inadequate.

Cranes are affected by the coronavirus, too.

Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America
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Both the Federal Reserve and the White House are considering emergency measures to combat the economic fallout from the coronavirus. These are the right responses, but they don’t go far enough.

To be clear, the coronavirus is first and foremost a public-health threat. The full resources of the federal government should be marshaled against it. At the same time, the government shouldn’t focus only on public health, and it’s wrong to argue that efforts to address the economic effects of the virus are a distraction.