OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Westerman, Wild Send Letter to OMB on MSA Rule Change

Press Release

Date: March 19, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Government Operations

This week, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) along with 51 colleagues requesting a reversal of the proposed rule to reduce the population threshold for a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

"I am proud to come together with 51 of my colleagues to strongly oppose the proposed OMB rule change that would strip 144 communities in 45 states and Puerto Rico of their status as a Metropolitan Statistical Area," said Congressman Westerman. "OMB provided no reasonable justification for changing 70 years of precedent in a manner that could detrimentally hinder the economic development of many communities across America. I am glad to work with my friends across the aisle to voice our opposition against this unacceptable rule change."

"The classification of our smaller cities is hugely important in funding streams, especially as we look towards our recovery from the pandemic," said Rep. Susan Wild. "I urge Acting Director Fairweather to keep in mind the needs of our communities at this critical juncture and rethink any move to reclassify cities from around the country, including those in my district."

Background:

On January 19, 2021, the Office of Management and Budget published a proposal in the Federal Register to change the population threshold for a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The current population threshold, which has been unchanged since 1950, is 50,000 or more persons. The proposed new threshold will be 100,000 or more persons. This change will cause 144 of the 392 MSAs to lose their designation.

Declassified cities will either lose access to some federal programs or see greatly diminished federal funding from those using the MSA designation as a qualifying factor. Some programs, like the Community Development Block Grant, Federal Transit Administration grants, and Medicare's prospective payment system for acute care hospital inpatients could be inaccessible to these communities.


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