— from Governor Jay Inslee’s Office —
In case you missed it: Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter today requesting that President Trump authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide 100 percent federal assistance under the Stafford Act for the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington state.
“While our state enjoyed a period of sustained economic growth in the years preceding this pandemic, the ongoing response to the persistent threat of COVID-19 has significantly depleted resources at all levels of government. In order to protect our state’s citizens against this virus, local jurisdictions and organizations across Washington have absorbed costs they could never have planned for. We know these expenses will continue until the threat from COVID-19 is mitigated.
“Our state will continue to collectively carry out a sustained response to protect the lives of Washingtonians. However, some of our jurisdictions must now choose which capabilities and services to reduce, delay, or eliminate in order to address the impact of the COVID-19 response on their operational budgets. … We anticipate that these effects will continue and expand as the response to the pandemic continues.”
The governor’s letter also endorses a request by the National Governors Association (NGA) dated April 2, 2020, that President Trump agree to provide 100 percent cost-share for all states, tribes, territories and the District of Columbia for the emergency and major disaster declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the governor’s full letter.
