Lessons from FDR: The Hopkins Example
By Nancy Spannaus May 20, 2020—Almost two months ago, the U.S. Congress passed the CARES Act, which committed to spending half a trillion dollars for relief of states and municipalities. Yesterday, the two Administration officials responsible for allocating that money told the Senate Banking Committee that they were still planning […]
The Emergency Jobs Program of 1933-34
By Nancy Spannaus Nov. 21, 2020—When FDR’s relief expert Harry Hopkins told FDR about the looming emergency for tens of millions of Americans in the winter of 1933-34, FDR authorized action. If nothing were done, Hopkins had said, people would starve en masse. Immediate action was needed, because, as he […]