The Virus Economic Response Is Already Being Botched

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Both of these programs are very good ideas. The trouble is that both are having a hard time getting started -- and time is one thing millions of distressed Americans, many of whom were already living on the edge, don't have.

On unemployment benefits: State unemployment offices, already overwhelmed by the surge in applications, aren't ready to disburse these extra benefits, and may not be ready for quite a while -- a disastrous delay for families already in dire financial straits.

Small business loans are also facing a crippling lag in processing, with potential borrowers either unable to complete the forms or being told that they will have to wait three weeks. Furthermore, for some reason the federal government, instead of lending money directly, is channeling small-business lending through private banks -- and the banks are complaining that they have yet to receive crucial guidelines and that the administration is setting unworkable requirements.