Letter to Mike DeWine, Governor of Ohio - Kaptur Calls on Governor DeWine, Ohio State Legislature to Immediately Allocate Remaining CARES Act Funds to Communities

Letter

Dear Governor DeWine,

Thank you for your efforts to keep Ohioans safe during COVID-19. I write to highlight the need for equitable funding to localities in Northern Ohio. I urge you to prioritize providing the total $1.26 billion in assistance for localities under 500,000 people from the CARES Act.

Since my April 24, 2020 letter to you, the need for equitable localities funding has become more acute. My Congressional Office has helped thousands of Ohioans facing dire health and economic crises. Official unemployment remains extremely high at 11.1% as jobless claims spiked to 19.2 million. The public health situation only worsens with over 5,000 new COVID-19 cases reported every day nationally, over 1,000 just in Ohio. In our region, the University of Toledo Medical Center faces grave economic duress and an uncertain future as the only public hospital in NW Ohio. Its loss would be devastating for Toledo's underserved neighborhoods.

Recently, the Ohio General Assembly enacted HB 481, which allocated only $350 million of the $1.26 billion in federal CARES Act assistance provided to Ohio for distribution to localities. While a step forward, this bill does not provide nearly enough, and severely shortchanges communities across Northern Ohio. When comparing equitable, per capita CARES Act distributions as seen in the addendum, Cleveland is losing $163 million, Toledo $117 million, Lorain $27 million, and Lakewood $22 million. For these reasons, I urge you and the General Assembly to swiftly distribute the remaining funds to counter the rising public health and economic crisis. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur

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