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Letter to the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives - 128 House Members Write to Speaker Pelosi Requesting that Future COVID-19 Relief Packages Include Direct Funding for Small Localities

Letter

By: Terri Sewell, Raul Grijalva, Ami Bera, Jackie Speier, T.J. Cox, Judy Chu, Norma Torres, Mark Takano, Alan Lowenthal, Juan Vargas, John Larson, Jim Himes, Darren Soto, Kathy Castor, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Donna Shalala, David Scott, Dave Loebsack, Bill Foster, Sharice Davids, Lori Trahan, Anthony Brown, Chellie Pingree, Haley Stevens, Brenda Lawrence, Betty McCollum, Chris Pappas, Frank Pallone, Jr., Mikie Sherrill, Ben Luján, Jr., Thomas Suozzi, Paul Tonko, Joyce Beatty, Kendra Horn, Peter DeFazio, Susan Wild, Mike Doyle, Jr., Veronica Escobar, Colin Allred, Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Derek Kilmer, Mark Pocan, Ann Kirkpatrick, Mike Thompson, Barbara Lee, Jimmy Panetta, Julia Brownley, Grace Napolitano, Gil Cisneros, Lou Correa, Mike Levin, Jason Crow, Rosa DeLauro, Al Lawson, Jr., Charlie Crist, Jr., Ted Deutch, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Lucy McBath, Abby Finkenauer, Brad Schneider, Cheri Bustos, Jim McGovern, Ayanna Pressley, Jamie Raskin, Elissa Slotkin, Rashida Tlaib, Dean Phillips, Lacy Clay, Jr., Joshua Gottheimer, Albio Sires, Xochitl Torres Small, Steven Horsford, Eliot Engel, Tom Reed II, Tim Ryan, Earl Blumenauer, Madeleine Dean, Conor Lamb, Vicente Gonzalez, Sylvia Garcia, Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger, Suzan DelBene, Kim Schrier, Andy Levin, Tom O'Halleran, Jared Huffman, Josh Harder, Anna Eshoo, Salud Carbajal, Adam Schiff, Linda Sánchez, Nanette Barragán, Harley Rouda, Joe Neguse, Joe Courtney, Jahana Hayes, Val Demings, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Frederica Wilson, Hank Johnson, Jr., Michael San Nicolas, Jan Schakowsky, Lauren Underwood, Cedric Richmond, Joe Kennedy III, David Trone, Dan Kildee, Debbie Dingell, Angie Craig, Ilhan Omar, Annie Kuster, Tom Malinowski, Deb Haaland, Susie Lee, Kathleen Rice, Anthony Brindisi, Marcy Kaptur, Suzanne Bonamici, Kurt Schrader, Matt Cartwright, Jim Clyburn, Henry Cuellar, Filemon Vela, Jr., Donald McEachin, Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal
Date: April 2, 2020
Issues: National Security Health and Health Care

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

We are grateful for your tireless work to address the needs of all Americans struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for your understanding of the tremendous burdens that have been borne by localities as they work to respond to this crisis and keep their populations safe. However, we are concerned that the COVID-19 relief packages considered thus far have not provided direct funding to stabilize smaller counties, cities, and towns--specifically, those with populations under 500,000. As such, we urge you to include direct stabilization funding to such localities in the next COVID-19 response bill, or to lower the threshold for direct funding through the Coronavirus Relief Fund to localities with smaller populations.

Many of us represent districts containing no or few localities with populations above 500,000. Like their larger neighbors, though, these smaller counties, cities, and towns have faced enormous costs while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. These costs include deploying timely public service announcements to keep Americans informed, rapidly activating emergency operations, readying employees for telework to keep services running, and more. This work is essential to keeping our constituents safe and mitigating the spread of the coronavirus as effectively as possible.

We fear that, without targeted stabilization funding, smaller localities will be unable to continue providing these critical services to our constituents at the rate they are currently.

We applaud you for including a $200 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund as part of H.R. 6379, the Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act--$50 billion more than the Senate package provides. However, we are concerned that, in both the House and Senate bills, localities with populations under 500,000 cannot receive stabilization funds directly. As you work to craft the next package to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge you to include direct stabilization funding to localities with populations under 500,000, or to lower the threshold for direct funding through the Coronavirus Relief Fund. There's precedent for a lower threshold. Currently, localities with populations of at least 50,000 are eligible to receive funding through the Community Development Block Grant program. We believe this funding will allow smaller counties, cities and towns in our districts to continue the tremendous work they are doing to protect our constituents during this difficult time.

Thank you for your consideration of this request. We stand ready to work with you as we continue to provide much-needed relief for the American people.


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