Ben Bernanke writes: US has to help it states for economic recovery

Congress must act decisively to avoid repeating mistakes of the recovery from the Great Recession, writes former chairman of the Federal Reserve

The coronavirus pandemic has set loose a recession of shocking speed and severity. In the coming months, the actions taken by both the public and the private sectors will have economic and public health repercussions that will reverberate for years.

As a member of Gov. Phil Murphy’s Restart and Recovery Commission in New Jersey, I have worked to help put together an effective reopening strategy, one that not only will allow the state’s economy to move forward but also will address the glaring inequalities the pandemic has revealed.

The experience has been eye-opening. It’s become abundantly clear that the responsibility