This week, Congress will fight it out over whether to reauthorize the supercharged unemployment benefits established in the COVID-19 relief bill. Extending the benefits would be a grave mistake. It would turn legislators’ initial error into a long-term flaw in our economy.

In March, Congress passed the $2 trillion behemoth CARES Act. Among other things, the legislation boosted state-level unemployment benefits by adding $600 per week on top of whatever each state normally pays. The result of this well-intentioned but poorly-thought-out expansion of the welfare state was that for the average worker, staying home on government benefits paid far more than going to work.