NORTH JERSEY – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today led six of his colleagues in the New Jersey congressional delegation urging New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to prioritize the hardest hit areas in the state for federally-received emergency funds. The letter is signed by Reps. Pascrell, Albio Sires (D-NJ-08), Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ-10), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), Tom Malinowski (D-NJ-07), and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11).

“While we recognize this pandemic has touched every corner of our state, some are being battered harder by this storm than others. As we write, the hardest impacted counties by positive test results and deaths are Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Union, Passaic, and Middlesex counties, which account for nearly 70% of these metrics for the entire state,” the members’ write, urging “commonsense in distributing the federal resources we have secured so far in the U.S. Capitol.”

A copy of the letter is available here, the text of which is provided below.

May 6, 2020

The Honorable Phil Murphy

Governor of New Jersey

Office of the Governor

PO Box 001

Trenton, NJ 08625

Dear Governor Murphy:

We write regarding the distribution of federal resources across our state. We appreciate your steady leadership and your vocal advocacy for additional resources for our besieged communities. Most notably, these efforts helped Congress enact the Coronavirus Relief Fund in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which is providing the Garden State with at least $3.4 billion in federal assistance. While we recognize it is not nearly enough and continue every day to seek more, we are encouraged that the state is receiving additional federal resources through other avenues such as Community Development Block Grants and Emergency Solutions Grants. If the state is distributing federal funds to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, we request that these funds be prioritized to the counties hardest impacted by this crisis.

As you know well, the costs of fighting this virus are a titanic burden for the states and localities we represent, with many already contemplating savage cuts to essential public services to meet their obligations now. That is why we are continuing to work with our colleagues in Washington to increase the federal support for our state and localities during these difficult times.

While we recognize this pandemic has touched every corner of our state, some are being battered harder by this storm than others. As we write, the hardest impacted counties by positive test results and deaths are Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Union, Passaic, and Middlesex counties, which account for nearly 70% of these metrics for the entire state. We need not pit counties against each other, nor minimize the suffering faced by all New Jerseyans. We simply urge commonsense in distributing the federal resources we have secured so far in the U.S. Capitol.

We agree wholeheartedly that the only way to fight this pandemic is by focusing on flattening the curve. Thank you for your time and attention to our request and for your hard work during these difficult times. We look forward to working with you to ensure our state receives more federal resources and that these resources are distributed to those most in need.

Sincerely,