Letter to Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Peter Gaynor, FEMA Administrator - Lowey, Ocasio-Cortez Lead Bipartisan New York Members in Calling for FEMA Reimbursement for Funeral Expenses

Letter

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17), Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY14) today led bipartisan New York members in sending a letter to President Trump and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor calling for the immediate approval of the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) eligibility for New York under FEMA's Individual Assistance Program. With this FEMA support, grieving families would have access to assistance covering the costs associated with burials for loved ones who have succumbed to the coronavirus.

"The health and economic impacts of coronavirus are forcing families across the nation to choose between putting food on the table and laying their loved ones to rest," said Congresswoman Lowey. "With unemployment expected to surpass that of the Great Depression, this heartbreaking reality will affect more families. Federal assistance in the Disaster Relief Fund is already available to assist families who cannot afford proper burials, and it should not require an act of Congress for the Trump administration to put an end to the restrictions on this essential resource for grieving families."

"The least we can do is help families bury their loved ones in the most impacted communities in America," said Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. "It is the very least we can do. It is the very core, basic measure of human dignity. And in the richest country in the world, we should be able to allow people to bury their loved ones in dignity."

Other members of the New York Congressional Delegation who joined the letter include Senate Minority Leader Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Representatives Clarke, Engel, Espaillat, Jeffries, King, C. Maloney, Meng, Nadler, Rose, and Velázquez.

New York received its Major Disaster Declaration on March 20, 2020, but the scope of its Individual Assistance has been limited to the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program. Because the Trump administration has restricted access to this financial assistance, New York families cannot be reimbursed from FEMA for funeral expenses as they have during past disasters.

"The toll of this pandemic is unprecedented but providing FEMA assistance for funeral expenses is not," the lawmakers wrote. "Following Superstorm Sandy, FEMA provided $1.6 billion in IHP assistance, that included funeral assistance. With the national median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial at $7,640 in 2019, one need only do a cursory search on GoFundMe to see a seemingly endless scroll of donation pleas for funeral assistance as families struggle to bury those lost to COVID-19."

The full text of the letter is below. A PDF copy is available here.

Dear President Trump and Administrator Gaynor:

We write to urge your immediate approval of the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) eligibility for New York under FEMA's Individual Assistance Program so that grieving New Yorkers can give their loved ones who succumbed to the coronavirus proper burials. As a nation, we have lost 81,157 lives due to COVID-19, 21,640 (26.6%) of whom were New Yorkers. While New York received its Major Disaster Declaration on March 20, 2020, the scope of its Individual Assistance has been limited to the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program. These funds are helpful but many of the families that lost loved ones cannot shoulder the cost of burying them, particularly in the face of growing economic uncertainty.

The toll of this pandemic is unprecedented but providing FEMA assistance for funeral expenses is not. Reimbursement from FEMA for funeral expenses was provided in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. Following Superstorm Sandy, FEMA provided $1.6 billion in IHP assistance, that included funeral assistance. With the national median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial at $7,640 in 2019,[1] one need only do a cursory search on GoFundMe to see a seemingly endless scroll of donation pleas for funeral assistance as families struggle to bury those lost to COVID-19.

When exposed, the virus doesn't distinguish between race, ethnicity, or class, but working-class Americans in essential jobs and communities of color are disproportionately impacted without the luxury of space and secure jobs that afford them the option to work from home.[2] We anticipate unemployment will quickly rival if not surpass that of the Great Depression, with working-class and low-income families feeling the brunt of the economic cost.[3] Without FEMA-reimbursable funeral assistance, many New Yorkers are forced to make a false choice between laying their loved ones to rest or putting food on the table. [4] Further, the expansion of the Treasury Coronavirus Relief Fund for State, Territorial, Local, and Tribal Governments[5] to include the eligibility of unforeseen funeral costs faced by individuals and families experiencing a loss of income due to COVID-19 is a faux gesture of help that leaves this crisis unresolved. As a result, solely of COVID-19, New York State is facing a $13 billion decline (14%) in revenue in the fiscal year that started April 1, 2020, a dramatic reversal from projected revenue growth of 6.7% before the crisis.[6] It is unacceptable to suggest that New York State's Coronavirus Relief Fund should be repurposed for burials instead of covering them through the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund under New York's Major Disaster Declaration.

On April 28, 2020, the White House issued a memorandum[7] regarding FEMA's crisis counseling assistance, explicitly noting this limited program authorization "shall not be construed to encompass any authority to approve other forms of assistance." Given that nearly $80 billion remains in the Disaster Relief Fund, we hope the Administration will share in our bipartisan support for answering such an undeniable need for help.

We trust you share our urgency in responding to these matters and ask you do so within two weeks from the date of this letter.

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