Washington has responded to the unprecedented economic disruptions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic with extraordinary measures to bolster our nation’s health-care system, keep businesses afloat and support tens of millions of unemployed Americans. Given the vast scope of the public health and economic challenges we face, our federal government must go further. Federal aid for state and local governments that matches the depth of the crisis is urgently needed. The language of “revenue shortfalls” and “fiscal cliffs” used to describe these challenges may seem distant from the concerns of New Yorkers who are struggling to pay their bills and...