Letter to the Hon. Peter Gaynor, Admin. of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - New Jersey Members Fight Back Against FEMA Policy Change Halting Funding for Cloth Masks in Schools, PPE for Teachers, Disinfection for Public Facilities

Letter

Dear Administrator Gaynor:

We write to express our opposition to FEMA's recently announced interim policy limiting reimbursement for certain emergency protective measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This policy, titled "COVID-19 Pandemic: Work Eligible for Public Assistance," is restricted to emergency and major disaster declarations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy, set to go into effect on September 15, 2020, stipulates that only work associated with the performance of emergency protective measures specifically is eligible for reimbursement in COVID-19-declared events.

Under this policy, several categories will no longer be considered under FEMA's Category B designation which qualifies them for emergency response funding. As a result, disinfection of schools and other public facilities, personal protective equipment (PPE) for public employees including teachers, medical staff, and election workers, the purchase of thermometers and other physical barriers, and the distribution of cloth face masks will no longer qualify for emergency response reimbursement. Additionally, FEMA will now limit funding for the storage of a stockpile of PPE to up to sixty days from the date of purchase.

As many students and teachers across our state and our country head back to school, FEMA's policy will likely make it harder for state and local governments. This will hamstring efforts to slow the spread of the virus and prolong this pandemic.

As we anticipate a potential second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall, we urge you to reverse this harmful policy.