WASHINGTON, D.C. – The fast-moving coronavirus upending every facet of American life is testing whether Washington, a capital city fractured by years of bitter partisanship and inaction, can still do big things.
Not since the Great Recession of 2008, and before that the 9/11 attacks, has the federal government attempted to mount such an ambitious response to an emergency, and so quickly.
The country’s once-revered, now often maligned institutions — from the White House to Congress to the Federal Reserve — are being summoned into action to shoulder the lift.
It starts with a massive $1 trillion rescue package that includes sending $1,000 checks to Americans, with a goal of pushing it through Congress and onto President Donald Trump’s desk