Extraordinary events often require extraordinary measures to resolve the problems they cause. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive economic dislocation, resulting in job losses or significantly reduced income for a majority of working class Americans, through no fault of their own. Although the $1,200 stimulus check was both appreciated and timely, it cannot begin to address the serious economic fallout from this pandemic. Even in locations with a low infection rate, millions are out of work due to their local economy's reliance on industries like tourism and high contact personal services. In areas with very high infection, workers are being pressured to return to work, despite the very high risk of becoming infected and in turn infecting their families. States either cannot or will not take the steps necessary to avoid homelessness on a massive scale. It falls to the Federal government to provide leadership now. After all of the billions spent on frivolous and unnecessary projects, it is entirely within the purview of the government to both cancel rent and mortgage payments on primary residences and to help support landlords so that they aren't forced to personally subsidize their tenants, through the use of federal grants. We have a choice. We can accept the pain of rebooting the economy over the next two or three years, or we can enter into a "lost decade" by doing nothing and just accept the human cost. Some authorities estimate that for every one percent increase in unemployment, 50,000 lives are lost in the United States. This is entirely unacceptable in a country that has created so much wealth. This is not a call for a "government takeover" of the housing market, nor is it meant to support the idea of Basic Universal Income, as those are entirely different measures. This is a demand for leadership over politics in a world gone haywire. Temporarily suspending rent and mortgage payments to help the majority of working class Americans during this crisis is a completely legitimate and necessary function of government. After all, a government is only as just as it's efforts to protect it's weakest and most vulnerable citizens. The protection of the citizenry will always be the first duty of government in a democratic society.