When times are tough, decisions get that much tougher. And a mistake right now might mean we are put down a path from which we cannot recover. Those are the stakes at play when we talk about the possibility of a fourth federal COVID bill. We should pause and think about real solutions instead of repeating past mistakes. So long as a fourth federal COVID bill looms over us, financial peril looms as well.

Right now, we do not have many answers at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wear your mask, practice social distancing, practice good hygiene: These are all very basic steps. But they are not answers — they are safeguards.