Two New York congressman have introduced their first bill in the new Congress. It’s to secure direct COVID-19 relief funding for counties and local governments.
Democratic 19th District Congressman Antonio Delgado and Republican Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin re-introduced their Direct Support for Communities Act to ensure that every community, regardless of size, can access COVID-19 relief funding from the federal government. Delgado says the bill establishes a formula under which federal funding for local governments would be split evenly, with 50 percent going to cities, towns and villages and 50 percent going to counties.
“This is exactly the support that our communities need right now most urgently,” Delgado says. “This has to be one of the most important things that the new Administration focuses on.”
The CARES Act in 2020 did not provide funding for communities with fewer than 500,000 residents. The representatives first introduced their bill in May.
