WASHINGTON – The National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, and The U.S. Conference of Mayors today welcomed the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee’s State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Funds legislation – to be considered as part of a comprehensive COVID-19 federal package. The bill includes $350 billion in critical aid to state, local and territorial governments.
The local government organizations issued the following joint statement:
“We thank Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and the members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform for introducing the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Funds, which would provide relief to America’s state and local governments on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. This bill recognizes the damage this crisis has done to local budgets and our role in mitigating the public health and economic impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the essential frontline services we provide.
“After a year of this crisis, far too many counties and cities have received no, or very limited, direct fiscal relief. Unfortunately, the pressing challenges and needs facing our counties and cities continue to outstrip our depleted local resources.
“Local governments continue to expend enormous resources to meet our vast community needs. We are fighting to end the virus, vaccinate residents, revive our struggling economies leaving millions of Americans behind, and serve our most vulnerable residents, including our seniors, children, unemployed, sick and frontline workers.
“We are also urging lawmakers to make strategic investments in the immediate task of vaccinating our residents and mitigating the spread of this deadly, destructive virus.
“The provisions in this bill and President Biden’s American Rescue Plan would strengthen the federal-state-local response to COVID-19, and we call on the Committee and then the full House of Representatives to swiftly pass the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Funds.”
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About the United States Conference of Mayors –The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) strengthens America’s counties, including nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Founded in 1935, NACo unites county officials to advocate for county government priorities in federal policymaking; promote exemplary county policies and practices; nurture leadership skills and expand knowledge networks; optimize county and taxpayer resources and cost savings; and enrich the public’s understanding of county government. www.naco.org
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The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people across the country. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.