Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Announces New Aid in Response to COVID-19, Help for Communities Hit Hard by Pandemic

Press Release

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard continues to ensure that Hawai"i and vulnerable communities across the country are at the forefront of Congressional efforts to help deal with the fallout from the COVID-19 public health crisis. Today, she announced that new funding for housing and healthcare providers is coming to Hawai"i.

"As the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic continue, I am continuing to work in Congress to make sure that all of Hawai"i communities -- from workers, farmers, and small business owners to our first responders, keiki, and kūpuna -- have access to federal support," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. "These funds are absolutely vital to help bridge the gap, but we are not out of the woods yet. There is a lot more that must be done, and we will continue to fight for the people of Hawai"i as we work together on the path to recovery."

Earlier this week, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department awarded $2.96 billion in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding to support homeless Americans and individuals at risk of becoming homeless because of hardships such as job loss, wage reduction, or illness due to COVID-19. This is the remaining amount of ESG funds that Congress approved as part of the CARES Act. As part of this latest distribution, the City and County of Honolulu will receive $22,370,813 and, statewide, Hawai"i will get an additional $8,466,976 in ESG funds.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week announced additional funding to eligible Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program providers and to safety net hospitals that serve our kūpuna, keiki, and vulnerable communities. HHS expects to distribute approximately $15 billion from the Provider Relief Fund to eligible Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and have not received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Allocation. HHS will also distribute $10 billion in Provider Relief Funds to safety net hospitals that serve our most vulnerable citizens.

Two weeks ago, Rep. Gabbard, Congressman Case and the Members of Congress from the U.S. Territories sent a letter to U.S. House leaders urging them to support local crop diversity and food security in upcoming emergency legislation responding to the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. This week, the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is awarding $498,759 to the University of Hawai'i Maui College for developing sustainable aquaponics systems for food security and community resiliency in Hawai'i.

After slamming the Administration for their now-rescinded decision to implement a hard stop at 89 days of duty, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard sent a letter to the President, Secretary of Defense, and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator demanding that the National Guard personnel -- who have been critical in the fight against COVID-19 nationwide -- receive the benefits to which they are entitled.

Noting the unique vulnerability of nursing home residents during this public health emergency, she called upon Heath and Human Services Secretary Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Verma to address the needs of nursing homes for testing kits, personal protective equipment (PPE), and sufficient staff to respond to the pandemic.

Source