TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Treat DC fairly in the Next Coronavirus Relief Package
Congressional Leadership: Rep. Pelosi, Rep. McCarthy, Sen. Schumer, Sen. McConnell
Congress must give DC fair funding in their next coronavirus relief package—lives are depending on it.
Congress usually treats the District as a state for federal programs. Yet, they shortchanged DC in the latest COVID-19 relief effort by treating the nation’s capital as a territory instead of a state. They only gave DC half of what other states received to address massive, immediate budget problems due to COVID-19. This is morally wrong and deeply misguided.
DC residents—who pay the highest percentage of their income in federal taxes compared to other states—deserve better.
We cannot allow Congress to treat DC like a bargaining chip again in the next relief effort. Lives are at risk and fair funding gives DC a fighting chance to save them.
DC leaders are joining hands with Maryland and Virginia to contain and treat COVID-19 and respond to the virus-induced spike in joblessness and health and human service needs. Like states across the nation, DC is incurring huge new costs at a rapid pace. Our federal government should be there to help DC get through this crisis.
COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on all Americans and our economy, but we know it’s harming low-income and communities of color the most. Federal funding is a lifeline.
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To:
Congressional Leadership: Rep. Pelosi, Rep. McCarthy, Sen. Schumer, Sen. McConnell
From:
[Your Name]
To House and Senate leaders:
The District of Columbia is an integral part of the strength of this nation, and the people of the District need full funding in any future coronavirus relief package to fight the spread of this devastating disease. Congress has typically treated DC as a state for federal funding purposes, and a global health pandemic is not the time to change course. The CARES Act shortchanged DC $750 million of life-saving funding in the Coronavirus Relief Fund that residents deserve and need to survive. In your next relief effort, Congress must restore this funding to put DC’s funding on equal footing to other states.
Thousands of Washingtonians’ lives are at risk, and like other states, DC is incurring huge new costs as policymakers in the District fight to contain and treat COVID-19 while responding to the massive spike in business closures, joblessness, and health and human services needs. Your support and leadership are key to helping DC policymakers save lives and prevent the recurring spread of illness within and beyond the District’s borders. With so much federal infrastructure and human capital relying on a strong local response to be healthy enough to support Americans nationwide, the Capitol region must be made whole.
Additionally, less federal aid is causing a weakened COVID-19 response for DC’s local business community which is navigating an already tumultuous economic storm. This is bad for DC, and bad for the nation’s financial stability. All states and regions deserve a fair shot at rebuilding their economies.
With a densely packed population of more than a handful of states across the country and DC residents paying the highest percentage of their income in federal taxes, Washingtonians deserve to reap the full benefits of federal fiscal relief that they have been denied. As Congress works to put together another relief package, I urge you to treat DC fairly and ensure that the nation’s capital receives the $750 million they were shortchanged in the last measure—710,000 residents are counting on you to help protect their lives and their social and economic well-being.