Congresswoman Cori Bush Advances COVID-19 Funding for State and Local Governments, Which Would Provide St. Louis With Approximately $680 Million
ST. LOUIS, MO – Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform advanced legislation that will directly provide states, localities, Tribes, and territories with $350 billion in much needed funding to fight the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating economic impacts. The legislation, which would provide for approximately $680 million in funding to St. Louis, will now head to the House Floor for a vote as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 Reconciliation Act. The Congresswoman’s efforts will ensure the St. Louis community can directly access these funds as soon as possible.
“It has been 322 days since the federal government provided funding for St. Louis and our state and local governments to combat the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congresswoman Cori Bush. “In that time, the pandemic has continued to devastate our communities in Missouri’s First District. Hundreds of people have died, while thousands more have lost their jobs or risked being evicted from their homes. This critically needed funding will help our state and local governments provide life-saving unemployment benefits, food assistance, housing support, and health care services. Despite more than 30 attempts from my Republican colleagues to delay this vital aid during the committee hearing, I remained committed to advocating for the urgent need for this funding in St. Louis. I will continue to do everything within my power to ensure St. Louis gets the help we need, from funding for our state and local governments to additional rounds of survival checks.”
In addition to allocating $350 billion in funding to states, localities, Tribes, and territories, the Committee’s Fiscal Year 2021 Reconciliation Act provisions include $570 million for emergency leave for federal and postal workers, and $117 million for oversight entities to promote transparency and accountability of all federal coronavirus relief funds.
To read the bill text, click here. To read the one-pager, click here. To download the direct funding estimates for states, localities, Tribes, and territories, click here. *Please note that the estimates are approximations and subject to change.*
###
Congresswoman Cori Bush represents Missouri’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She is also a Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus. She is a registered nurse, single mother, and an ordained pastor. Following the murder of Michael Brown Jr. by a now-terminated Ferguson police officer, she became a civil rights activist and community organizer fighting for justice for Black lives on the streets of Missouri and across the country.