U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today convened mayors from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties for a call to discuss efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic. The mayors asked Pascrell several questions regarding federal support for small businesses, first responders, and individuals experiencing financial hardships.

“This morning I was fortunate to speak with mayors from our district’s diverse cities and towns. As this crisis widens, maintaining constant dialogue between our federal, state, and local officials is vital to our efforts to fight against this disaster,” said Rep. Pascrell. “Our North Jersey communities are doing their best to grapple with the sudden and unprecedented challenges presented by the virus. Many of our mayors discussed the concerns they are hearing from our neighbors and the support they need from Congress. I vowed to continue to fight for whatever resources the federal government can muster. I thanked the Mayors for all the work they are doing to keep our communities safe. I will continue to work closely with not just the state but our local officials to ensure no stone is left unturned to defeat this virus and protect our families.”

Today’s call comes just one day after Pascrell hosted a telephone town hall on the coronavirus epidemic with Dr. Ashwin Jathavadem, MD, Chief of Infectious Disease at Englewood Health. The telephone town hall format allowed for thousands of constituents to participate while respecting the social distancing guidelines proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rep. Pascrell has been active in calling for a stronger government response to combat the growing threat of coronavirus and has been harshly critical of the Trump White House’s ill-preparation, lack of transparency, and censuring of medical and scientific experts. Pascrell and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) have led several letters regarding the government’s efforts to protect medical supply chains from China and urging more federal support for New Jersey’s health care workers.