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A bill that would ensure the federal government cover the costs of COVID-19-related Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance under major disaster declarations was introduced by top House Democrats on May 1.
Specifically, the COVID-19 Cost Share Adjustment Relief Act of 2020 would remove financial obligations from state, municipal, tribal and territorial governments under declarations pursuant to the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The bill’s sponsors explained these nonfederal governments typically take on 25% of such costs.
“As a nation, we have lost more than 63,000 lives before their time to COVID-19. Our state and local governments are in dire need of additional resources and support to weather this crisis. The toll of this pandemic is unprecedented, but adjusting the FEMA nonfederal cost share is not,” said Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.). “Past presidents have invoked this authority in times of crisis. Despite continued urging from Congress, President [Donald[ Trump has failed to do so, and states quickly expended their public health and emergency management resources.”
Said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), “Governments across the nation are seeing their public health and emergency management capabilities quickly exceeded as this pandemic has spread, while at the same time watching their tax bases wither as Americans do the right thing by heeding stay-at-home orders to ‘flatten the curve’ and slow the spread of this deadly coronavirus.”
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Source: https://www.ttnews.com/articles/house-bill-directs-fed-cover-covid-19-fema-costs
