Kings County congressman joins fellow state reps in letter asking feds to fund state's COVID-19 needs

Rep. Cox, California Democratic Congressional Delegation Chair Zoe Lofgren, and the co-signers wrote: “It is vital that the stimulus packages continue to provide increased federal funding for public health emergency preparedness and response for the State of California and its local entities, including counties, hospitals, and health systems. As detailed in the letter, California and its 58 counties will need additional funding to continue providing necessary support for individuals and families confronting school closures, curtailed work hours, and job loss.”

Copy of letter to Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Leader McCarthy, and Leader Schumer:

As Members of the California Congressional Delegation, we write to express support for the State of California’s request for federal assistance detailed in Governor Newsom’s March 19, 2020 letter to Congressional leadership.

As you know, the spread of COVID-19 poses an enormous threat to California’s existing safety net and working families. The coming surge of patients threatens to overwhelm California’s hospitals and both rural and urban health care systems. California businesses are struggling to keep their doors open and their workers employed, with small businesses being disproportionately burdened by the extreme reduction in consumer spending resulting from a shelter in place health directives. Nearly all public schools in California’s 1,000 school districts have been closed to traditional classroom learning as they try to adapt quickly to deliver quality alternative/online programs. Local transit agencies, rail systems, airport and port authorities across the state are seeing sharp curtailment of ridership and revenue that will have an immediate impact on both employment and commerce.

For all these reasons, we urge you to support Governor Newsom’s request. It is vital that the stimulus packages continue to provide increased federal funding for public health emergency preparedness and response for the State of California and its local entities, including counties, hospitals, and health systems. As detailed in the letter, California and its 58 counties will need additional funding to continue providing necessary support for individuals and families confronting school closures, curtailed work hours, and job loss.

The challenges we face as elected leaders in this crisis are immense, but only by coordinating a bold response will we be able to take the necessary and immediate steps to address our health and economic needs. We stand ready to help in any way we can to ensure California and the nation’s needs are met in upcoming measures to mitigate the severe disruptions caused by this pandemic.