April 21, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC — In response to the announcement that the Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan deal for additional coronavirus aid, Local Progress released the following statement:
“This package is a half-measure that does little to bring communities the full relief they need. It ignores the direct aid that people – regardless of immigration status – need as they face unemployment or risk their lives on the frontlines out of economic necessity, while only marginally helping to lift up small businesses and support hospitals. It offers no urgency in protecting our elections and leaves states, cities, and municipalities to bear the brunt of the crisis alone.
“Local elected officials are taking action and displaying the leadership we need in this moment — but they are being stymied by the federal government’s failure to support them. Without federal funding, local governments are seeing their coffers emptied as they respond in full necessity to this emergency and are being forced to make drastic budget cuts that put essential public services at risk. These are the very services that communities need now more than ever in order to safeguard their public health and support them during this period of economic insecurity.
Being forced to wait for the next legislative initiative in order to get to the funding they need not only delays immediate relief to communities but stifles the long-term recovery for the country as a whole.”
