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Letter to Leadership - Feinstein, Harder Urge Congress to Extend Deadline for Coronavirus Relief Funds

Letter

Date: Sept. 28, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care Economy and Fiscal

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leaders McCarthy and Schumer:

As negotiations continue on the next COVID-19 relief package, we urge you to include language providing a six-month extension to states and local governments to spend their allocations of the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) as provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented public health and economic crisis, causing severe disruptions to state and local governments, including the provision of education, health, and critical social services. The $150 billion in emergency CRF funding the CARES Act provides was a necessary first step to help offset the impact of COVID-19 on state and local governments. However, the use of these funds was also restricted, and the various disruptions caused by the pandemic have made it difficult for some jurisdictions to ensure they can meet the December 30, 2020, deadline for expenditure.

We believe that a six-month extension of the December 30, 2020 deadline would allow states and local governments to meet the additional challenges anticipated during the next year. For example, such an extension would help:

Allow schools to better close learning gaps, plan for safe school re-openings, and address other barriers and associated costs.
Prevent unnecessary layoffs that will slow the economic recovery. States and localities have already laid off 1.1 million workers, of which half of those are in K-12 education.
Provide safe housing for homeless and unstably housed individuals at risk of contracting COVID-19.
Thank you for your consideration of our request. We look forward to working with you to ensure that states and local governments have the flexibility they need to best respond to the needs of the communities that they serve.

Sincerely,

Dianne Feinstein Josh Harder

United States Senator United States Representative

Ami Bera, M.D. Grace F. Napolitano

United States Representative United States Representative

Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. Barbara Lee

United States Representative United States Representative

Mark DeSaulnier Juan Vargas

United States Representative United States Representative

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