It is heartening that the new Congress is tackling the economic crisis with the urgency it deserves. The economy is slowing dramatically, and 15 million Americans are now unemployed or underemployed. The numbers worsen every month, and if state and local governments meet their budget shortfalls by cutting services and...

This week the Bush administration trotted out a lame and calloused argument for opposing critically-needed legislation to extend unemployment insurance benefits for the millions of long-term unemployed Americans, arguing that what's needed are jobs, not more benefits. The White House claimed that its trade deals and an extension of...