Washington Fails American Cities, Threatens Economic Recovery

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) President and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer released the following statement in response to the congressional agreement on a coronavirus relief package:

"Despite the clear evidence that shrinking revenue in cities across the country is leading to job loss and the reduction of critical services like public safety, Congress chose to turn its back on first responders, police, firefighters and other essential workers by failing to include direct fiscal assistance for all cities in its relief package. Congress has callously abandoned the very people who are the backbone of American cities and have served their communities on the frontlines with an indefatigable spirit for the last nine months.

"With support from economic voices on the right and the left, mayors from cities large and small – Republican, Democratic and Independent alike – have been sounding the alarm about the urgently needed fiscal assistance to position cities to drive, not drag, recovery. Congress' refusal to acknowledge this reality will have significant consequences for our recovery, making it much harder for our economy to rebound.

"Millions of people are hurting today because of this pandemic, and it's good news that relief is on the way for American families, small businesses, and the unemployed. But it is simply not good enough. The pandemic has shattered the budgets of local governments, and Washington's unwillingness to help has cost people jobs and made communities less safe. 

"This cannot be the final act in response to this ongoing devastating pandemic. Mayors are now calling on, and counting on, President-elect Biden to put forth on day one of his administration an immediate proposal for emergency fiscal assistance for state and local governments to ensure that our frontline workers, the people who are keeping our nation going during this pandemic and economic recovery, are not left behind."

About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors

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