Give Gavin Newsom what he wants for coronavirus, California Democrats tell Pelosi
Gov. Gavin Newsom has a long list of requests for Congress and the Trump administration to help with the coronavirus crisis in California, and dozens of congressional Democrats want to make sure the state gets all of it.
Newsom said in a letter Thursday that California alone needs at least $1 billion in additional funding to support hospitals. Those funds would cover getting more beds as hospitals are overrun — setting up mobile hospitals, tents and cots and obtaining additional ventilators and other supplies.
In a letter led by Rep. TJ Cox, D-Fresno, and joined by 26 other members of Congress from California, lawmakers urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and other congressional leaders to grant Newsom’s requests.
“It is vital that the stimulus packages continue to provide increased federal funding for public health emergency preparedness and response for the State of California and its local entities, including counties, hospitals, and health systems,” Cox and others wrote. “As detailed in the letter, California and its 58 counties will need additional funding to continue providing necessary support for individuals and families confronting school closures, curtailed work hours, and job loss.”
Newsom’s letter last week had a laundry list of other requests, including extending unemployment benefits, additional support for safety net programs like Medicaid and food stamps, more funding for housing and homelessness programs, a program to give loans to small businesses, rental assistance for businesses, funding to extend schools’ technology capabilities, funding to transportation-related businesses, funding directly to state and local governments and more.
Newsom’s letter did not predict a total cost for all of his requests for California.
“Without a substantial economic intervention from the federal government, many of these middle-class households may fall into poverty,” Newsom wrote. “State and local governments need broad-based federal support to meet this moment and the needs of the people.”
President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration due to coronavirus in California on Sunday, as well as Washington and New York. The declaration frees up money and other resources to respond to the crisis.
Congress is debating a new relief package responding to the coronavirus pandemic. If it passes, it would the third coronavirus aid package to move through the House and Senate.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, worked on a new proposal with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who is negotiating on behalf of the White House, on Monday after a previous version failed.
Meanwhile, Pelosi said she would be unveiling her own package on Monday, calling the Senate version a “non-starter.”
“We must tighten the safety net in America, which is sadly and seriously frayed,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Any response package must greatly increase Unemployment Insurance and Medicaid, help small businesses survive, expand paid sick and family leave and put money directly into the hands of those who need it most.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Give Gavin Newsom what he wants for coronavirus, California Democrats tell Pelosi."
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