Durbin, Duckworth Join Bipartisan Call For Federal Government To Reimburse States, Cities For Coronavirus Efforts

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and a bipartisan group of colleagues in a letter calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish clear guidelines for how local and state governments—including Illinois—will be reimbursed for costs incurred while assisting the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak.

“We write to ask that your department establish clear guidelines for state and local governments to receive federal reimbursement for costs they incur as part of the federal response to the current deadly coronavirus outbreak,” wrote the Senators. “Many state and local health departments and hospitals have helped support the transportation and quarantine efforts, and it is important they be notified of the criteria by which the department will ask them to document and report what resources they contributed to the federal response for reimbursement.”

Joining Durbin, Duckworth, and Feinstein in sending the letter were Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Gary Peters (D-MI), Edward Markey (D-MA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

Full text of the letter is available here.

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