As the COVID-19 crisis grips the United States, states and cities are leading the charge in the most significant containment measures, with the federal government playing a supporting role. This means that neither lockdown measures to contain the virus, nor the outbreak itself, will end on the federal government’s schedule. But Washington will still be held liable for helping bail out the growing number of citizens and states struggling to make ends meet in an indefinitely quarantined economy. Putting Its Fate in the States The United States is a federal republic that allows its states, counties and cities significant leeway in governance. As a result, local powers have historically managed the country’s public health emergencies rather than the national government. Cities and states took the lead against the infamous influenza pandemic in 1918-20, during which cities such as St.