Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined 33 U.S. Senators, led by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), in a letter asking President Trump to restore full funding to states, including Nevada, for the National Guard forces responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, the President reduced FEMA reimbursement for National Guard units from 100 percent to 75 percent, with no explanation, and with the unexplained exception of Florida and Texas. Since March, National Guard units in every state and territory have supported response to help Americans, from distributing much-needed food, to running remote testing locations, to standing up alternate medical care facilities.
In the letter, the Senators said, “Congress has demonstrated repeatedly that we understand 32 USC 502(f) to include the ability for the National Guard, under command of state and territory governors, to respond with Federal resources to disasters that endanger Americans…. This new determination to reduce the cost share comes at the worst possible time, as positive cases continue to rise, and food security and other basic needs increase due to the ongoing economic impact of the pandemic… We ask that you re-authorize one hundred percent cost share for all states and territories through at least December 31.”
The letter shares a similar goal to a call from the National Governors Association Friday.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
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