Watson Coleman Leads New Jersey Delegation in Request for Funds that Consider Population and Severity of COVID-19 Outbreak
Current funding models leave New Jersey without adequate funding despite having second largest outbreak.
Ewing, NJ (April 16, 2020) – Today, U.S. Congressman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, led the entire New Jersey Congressional delegation to request that the next relief package provide funding based on state population and Coronavirus impact. While New Jersey has the second highest number of cases in the U.S., the state received the second-lowest amount of federal support per patient.
The relief to states included in the CARES Act left New Jersey, a state with over 12% of active cases in the United States, with only $390 per person, while smaller states with fewer cases received as much as $2,100 per person. In their letter to Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy, the delegation requests that any future package include support based on population, along with at least $40 billion in additional funding to be distributed to states based on the number of COVID-19 cases.
“As you work to develop future relief legislation, we urge you to provide significant additional resources directly to states and local governments and to distribute these funds with a formula that is proportionate to each state’s population,” the Congressmembers wrote. “Without equitable funding that fully reflects our state’s population, New Jersey and its counties and municipalities may not have the funding necessary to fully respond to COVID-19 while continuing to provide the vital services on which our constituents rely. Additionally, we reiterate our request that you include at least $40 billion for states to be distributed based on COVID-19 infection rates as reflected in the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracking data.”
The letter was signed by U.S. Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Donald Norcross (NJ-1), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), Andy Kim (NJ-3), Chris Smith (NJ-4), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Frank Pallone (NJ-6), Tom Malinsowki (NJ-7), Albio Sires (NJ-8), Bill Pascrell (NJ-9), Donald Payne Jr. (NJ-10), and Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11).
The letter can be read here