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COVID-19 is a global pandemic. Isolated efforts by individual countries are ineffective as the virus follows the movement of people. While many countries have spent lavishly, it is not clear how this will be financed. One proposal to manage the crisis is to create a global, federal government. COVID-19 generates new arguments in favor of this proposal: a global pandemic needs a global response, without which the virus cannot be contained; the capacity of countries to treat people is unequal, requiring transfers of vaccines and medicine; increasing demand so as to reboot economics requires a program of massive redistribution to the people who need to consume, most of whom live in poor countries. To achieve this, fiscal federalism equalization payments are required.