Senator McConnell Announces Coronavirus Funding for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

Statement

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government received $478,748 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance. These federal resources, made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, will be used to assist Lexington's coronavirus response efforts. Senator McConnell introduced the CARES Act, which became the largest economic rescue package in history, and led it to enactment in about a week.

The funding is part of DOJ's Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program, which allows local governments to support efforts to control the spread of coronavirus. It can be used for overtime pay for first responders and medical professionals, as well as to purchase personal protection equipment such as masks, gloves, sanitizer, and other coronavirus-related priorities. Last week, Senator McConnell visited several hospitals, including University of Kentucky HealthCare to thank healthcare workers on the frontlines of this virus.

"Medical professionals and first responders in Kentucky are courageously protecting our families and communities from the coronavirus. I'm proud to support their lifesaving work in the Senate through the CARES Act," said Senator McConnell. "Last week, I traveled to Lexington to personally express my thanks to the doctors, nurses, and staff at the University of Kentucky who are selflessly working to defeat this virus in our Commonwealth. These funds will provide further assistance to those on the frontlines of our response and support the strong leadership of Mayor Gorton and her team. As Senate Majority Leader, I'm constantly working to help Kentucky overcome the coronavirus crisis and begin to safely and smartly reopen our economy."

"Thanks to Senator McConnell for helping our City recover from the economic blow of COVID-19. Fighting this virus has been very expensive at a time when our revenues are falling because of the slowdown of our economy," said Mayor Linda Gorton.

To date, the Lexington-Fayette County community has received more than $81 million as a result of Senator McConnell's CARES Act and his subsequent coronavirus response legislation. That funding includes $47 million for UK HealthCare, $18 million for UK and its students, $3.8 million for UK's Center of Excellence in Rural Health, funding for UK's College of Nursing for telehealth training, $9.5 million for Bluegrass Airport, and $3 million for local housing programs.

In addition to these federal funds, the CARES Act has had an $11 billion impact in Kentucky so far. Senator McConnell's legislation has delivered $3.6 billion in relief to address urgent housing, transportation, healthcare, education and economic development priorities. His legislation also created the Paycheck Protection Program, which is helping more than 45,000 Kentucky small businesses access over $5 billion in loans to keep their lights on and employees on payroll. Kentucky families have also received more than $3.2 billion in Economic Impact Payments from the U.S. Treasury.

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