Joyce Advocates for PA’s CARES Act Funding to Reach Rural Communities
Altoona, PA Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), alongside Congressman Fred Keller (PA-12) and fellow Members of Congress from Pennsylvania, recently sent a letter Governor Tom Wolf urging him to ensure that the funding provided to Pennsylvania in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act reaches rural Pennsylvanians. In the CARES Act, Congress passed $150 billion for state governments to provide coronavirus relief, including nearly $5 billion for Pennsylvania.
"The Commonwealth Pennsylvania extends far beyond the City of Philadelphia," said Dr. Joyce. "These are difficult days for all of the municipalities and local governments across Pennsylvania. In the CARES Act, Congress provided nearly $5 billion to our commonwealth for coronavirus relief, and it's up to the governor and his administration to ensure that this funding reaches all Pennsylvanians including those of us in rural communities."
Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, which includes all or a portion of 10 counties across southcentral Pennsylvania, is comprised primarily of rural communities.
"As your office employs CARES Act funding to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, we ask that you give full and fair consideration to every Pennsylvanian, including those in rural communities which lack the resources and health care capacity of other areas of Pennsylvania," the letter states in part.
Read the full text of the letter below:
The Honorable Tom Wolf
Governor of Pennsylvania
508 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Dear Governor Wolf,
As the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania decides how to disburse funds allocated by Congress under the CARES Act, we are writing to ask that you consider the unique needs of rural communities and request guidance on your office's plans for considering funding requests from local governments impacted by COVID-19.
The CARES Act established the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund to provide for payments to state, local, and tribal governments, including approximately $4.9 billion for Pennsylvania. Under the law's distribution formula, Pennsylvania's seven counties with populations greater than 500,000 were eligible to apply directly to the Treasury Department for roughly 20 percent of the funding, or approximately $1.027 billion. The remaining 80 percent of the funding, or more than $3.9 billion, will be left to the Commonwealth to cover qualified unanticipated expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19.
As your office employs CARES Act funding to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, we ask that you give full and fair consideration to every Pennsylvanian, including those in rural communities which lack the resources and health care capacity of other areas of Pennsylvania. COVID-19 has required many rural communities to expend unanticipated funds to keep pace with virus response efforts, including increasing supplies of personal protective equipment, bolstering emergency management resources, and ramping up technological capacity for employees to work remotely while continuing to provide residents with essential health and public safety services. These costs have added stress to already financially strapped rural health and emergency centers and local budgets.
Given these challenges, we ask the following questions to which we request a response in writing:
- What COVID-19-related costs does the Commonwealth plan to cover with CARES Act Funds?
- Will your office make available an application process for local governments to apply directly to the Commonwealth for CARES Act funding, and if so, when will that process be made public?
Finally, regarding your letter dated April 2, 2020, Pennsylvanians must first have a clear answer to these questions and understand how the Commonwealth will disburse the $3.9 billion in CARES Act funding before their representatives engage in further spending discussions.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. As all levels of government continue to combat the public health and economic effects of COVID-19, we look forward to working with you to ensure that the needs of all Pennsylvanians are addressed.
A PDF of the letter and full list of signers is available here.
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