Rep. Stanton Urges Federal Government to Ease Financial Burden of COVID Response for States, Cities and Tribes

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona, issued the following news release:

Rep. Greg Stanton is pushing the Trump Administration to waive the 25 percent local cost share on FEMA Public Assistance disaster funding, a move that would ease the financial burden of coronavirus response efforts for state, local and tribal governments.

President Trump's major disaster declaration for the state of Arizona provided much-needed relief in additional federal assistance for state, local and tribal governments--but the assistance requires local entities to provide 25 percent of the funds for eligible work. Stanton joined many of his colleagues in the House by sending a letter to urge the President to eliminate this shared cost entirely and shift 100 percent of the financial burden to the federal government.

"It is vital the federal government leverage the full weight of its resources to allow state, local, tribal and territorial governments to dedicate their limited resources to outbreak response efforts in their fight against the spread of COVID-19," the letter wrote. "Increasing the federal cost share of FEMA Public Assistance provides much-needed relief in additional federal assistance for state, local, tribal and territorial governments. Our request empowers those entities to focus their limited resources on containing and mitigating the virus."

Boosting the federal government's share of FEMA assistance will help support those on the front lines saving lives and protecting Arizona's most vulnerable populations. It would free up resources that are necessary for other response efforts, including economic relief efforts. Especially in tribal communities, rural communities, and smaller cities and towns, the current 25 percent local cost share can be a significant hit to already strained budgets--this shift would alleviate the burden.

The House advocated for this change in early versions of the CARES Act, and this is the latest effort to advance it. Jurisdiction over FEMA falls to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which Stanton is a member.

The full letter is available below.

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President Donald J. Trump, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We appreciate the steps you took to declare a nationwide emergency pursuant to Sec. 501(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121-5207 (the "Stafford Act"). We also appreciate the approval of major disaster declaration requests pursuant to the emergency declaration by 50 U.S. states, tribes, and territories. We agree that the severity and magnitude of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has the potential to cause severe consequences for our country's national and economic security. Given the unprecedented nature of this pandemic, we urge you to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) non-Federal cost share currently required under these declarations to help state, local, tribal and territorial governments fight this global pandemic.

Since your initial nationwide emergency declaration, the number of positive cases has grown rapidly. Our nation now leads the world in confirmed COVID-19 cases. We worry the worst has yet to come. It is vital the federal government leverage the full weight of its resources to allow state, local, tribal and territorial governments to dedicate their limited resources to outbreak response efforts in their fight against the spread of COVID-19. Increasing the federal cost share of FEMA public assistance provides much-needed relief in additional federal assistance for state, local, tribal and territorial governments. Our request empowers those entities to focus their limited resources on containing and mitigating the virus.

Raising the federal cost share is not unprecedented and within your authority under Sec. 501(b) of the Stafford Act, which states "... the primary responsibility for response rests with the United States because... the United States exercises exclusive or preeminent responsibility and authority." This authority has been invoked in times of past national crises. The federal portion of FEMA public assistance cost share has also been adjusted during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the devastating flooding in Louisiana in 2016, and the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in 2017. As our entire country faces the daunting challenge of defeating this global pandemic, the full capacity of the federal government needs to be used so those on the front lines can focus on saving lives and protect our most vulnerable populations.

Thank you very much for your attention to our request to help our state, local, tribal and territorial governments. It is an important and urgently needed step that will help our nation combat this global pandemic.

Sincerely,

See signatories here (https://stanton.house.gov/media/press-releases/stanton-urges-federal-government-ease-financial-burden-covid-response-states)