Responding to the public health crisis, and its impact on workers and businesses, Congress has passed, and President Trump has signed, four COVID-19 response bills. All of those bills addressed important priorities. But none of them prioritized the impact of the pandemic on municipalities.
Since then, New Jersey’s Congressional Delegation has played a leading role in ongoing efforts to send a lifeline to New Jersey municipalities. All local governments, regardless of population, urgently need direct federal funding to continue to fight COVID-19 and protect their residents through the summer and beyond. The citizens of small towns matter just as much as the citizens of big counties, and New Jersey municipal employees contribute at least as much to society as private-sector workers.
The NLC, our partner in Washington, has launched a national campaign to focus attention on what municipalities are doing in response to the pandemic, on what they need from Washington to continue to do it, and on what they will need to restore local economies and the social fabric of their communities, severely weakened by the stress of COVID-19. The Cities Are Essential campaign calls for substantial direct federal aid and economic relief over the next two years to support all communities who support America’s people. More than 170 business and community organizations have already endorsed this effort, aiming to achieve one clear goal: Direct federal support for cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and villages, regardless of size.
Please thank Senators Menendez and Booker and your District’s Representative in the House for their efforts on our behalf. And please reach out to your business community and to your non-profit service providers. They need to add their voices to yours.
See our recent Town Crier blog post for more details.
Contact: Jon Moran, Senior Legislative Analyst, jmoran@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, ext. 121.