Can America’s divided Congress finally come together to fight coronavirus?

The coronavirus epidemic storming the world is far more frightening than the bank crisis over a decade ago. It not only poses a risk to people’s health, but if left to fester could tank economies and cause unbearable financial strains for millions. But in the United States, the country’s divided congress could – as it has done before in times of crisis – hinder rather than help the rescue effort.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Washington are, for now, at least, saying all of the right things to their constituents, some of whom have family members or friends infected by Covid-19 and quarantined from the general public. Majority leader Mitch McConnell and minority leader Charles Schumer, the top Republican and Democrat in the Senate respectively, are each cloaking their public remarks with calls for cooperation and bipartisanship during this time of extreme stress on the system. So far, the two veteran politicians have met their words with action: this week, Congress passed a relief package for