Rep. Kim Statement on Major Disaster Declaration for State of New Jersey

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Rep. Andy Kim, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement:

Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) released the following statement on the announcement that the Administration has granted a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of New Jersey. The declaration triggers the release of additional federal funds to help New Jersey recover from the Coronavirus pandemic.

"I'm glad to see the Administration listened to our request and we'll see more help coming our way," said Congressman Kim. "New Jersey has become one of the focal points of this disaster, and our delegation is going to keep fighting to bring every cent possible here to help our families and small businesses recover from this crisis."

Earlier this week, Congressman Kim joined the entire New Jersey congressional delegation to support Governor Phil Murphy's request for a Major Disaster Declaration.

Information about Congressman Kim's actions to contain the Coronavirus pandemic and address the ongoing economic impact can be found on his website by clicking here (https://kim.house.gov/issues/coronavirus-updates).

Congressman Kim is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Small Business. More information about Congressman Kim can be found on his website by clicking here (https://kim.house.gov/).

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March 24, 2020

President Donald J. Trump

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Trump:

Governor Murphy has formally requested a Major Disaster Declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are writing to urge you to approve this request to ensure New Jersey has the resources it needs to respond to this growing crisis.

New Jersey is one of the most impacted states with more than 2,800 confirmed cases as of the date of this letter. Governor Murphy has taken unprecedented actions to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. New Jersey has activated its State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to take all necessary actions to curb the pandemic, which has received an overwhelming amount of requests for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that our state has not been able to keep up with. This shortfall will jeopardize the ability of healthcare professionals, law enforcement, firefighters, and public safety officials to do their job safely and effectively. Our state has established two mobile testing sites and is looking to create additional sites but currently lacks the PPE and test kits necessary to meet growing demand. While New Jersey's actions have been robust, we anticipate that our state is not through the worst part of this pandemic.

We ask that you approve Governor Murphy's request, which would make our residents eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance (IA). Federal funds will allow New Jersey to provide Disaster Unemployment Insurance, Childcare Assistance and Disaster Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance. These programs, along with others that Governor Murphy officially requested, will help equip New Jersey with the necessary resources to respond to the immediate health pandemic and its corresponding economic impacts.

In addition, we call for the approval of Governor Murphy's request for FEMA Public Assistance programs. Public Assistance for Emergency Protective Measures, Direct Federal Assistance, and Community Disaster Loans will mitigate the financial burden imposed on state and local governments. The federal government needs to provide support for our state and municipalities who have been frontline responders during this difficult time.

We urge you to promptly approve Governor Murphy's request a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of New Jersey. We appreciate your consideration of the request.

Sincerely,

See signatures here (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Furldefense.proofpoint.com-252Fv2-252Furl-253Fu-253Dhttps-2D3A-5F-5Fwww.menendez.senate.gov-5Fimo-5Fmedia-5Fdoc-5FNJ-2D2520Delegation-2D2520Support-2D2520Maj-2D2520Disaster-2D2520Dec.pdf-2526d-253DDwMFAg-2526c-253DL93KkjKsAC98uTvC4KvQDdTDRzAeWDDRmG6S3YXllH0-2526r-253DnSDR-5FA2ldDAweqGwtLFqwBS-5F2mInhZZ5mT4nDn2X-2DUQ-2526m-253DbHYI3R5Drd98K08iamhmuZegS2WSIV5Bo027df1K0c4-2526s-253D5IxhOdGIWg6gMVa3HSPSaKOzyzjsIYdGgardzWFZV1A-2526e-253D-26data-3D02-257C01-257Cjsalant-2540NJADVANCEMEDIA.COM-257C6f5cfb3f0f34426e5b5c08d7d18662eb-257C1fe6294574e64203848fb9b82929f9d4-257C0-257C0-257C637208247468456525-26sdata-3DdafryKJuvLFjTiVPaQhsE5J57pPooduZfx8X0OynhvY-253D-26reserved-3D0&d=DwMF-g&c=L93KkjKsAC98uTvC4KvQDdTDRzAeWDDRmG6S3YXllH0&r=nSDR_A2ldDAweqGwtLFqwBS_2mInhZZ5mT4nDn2X-UQ&m=JDqZoZqymm7v0hzsmlM_Mqz71AdxtuRpBjdRP5OucYk&s=8zLmYuJ8qJgAE_yHqS2av5Rb5Nc4PIMgTf7bx-KfuZg&e=)