For Once, Give Congress Some Credit
In an unprecedented crisis, the legislature has actually gotten its act together. But there’s still more to do.
Could be worse.
Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
It’s not often one can say this: Congress is doing a pretty good job.
In a little more than three months since the coronavirus began infecting Americans in large numbers, the legislature has passed some $3.6 trillion in relief measures. It has dedicated billions to vaccine research, loaned $530 billion to keep businesses afloat, enacted significant tax breaks, expanded paid sick leave, boosted unemployment benefits and authorized stimulus checks for 159 million Americans. Last week, in an act of unusual equanimity, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to fix flaws in its small-business lending program.