Framingham Mayor & 200+ Other Mayors Urge Lawmakers To Boost Recovery With Desperately-Needed Federal Aid

WASHINGTON DC – More than 200 mayors from across America are urging Washington DC leaders to take immediate action on a comprehensive coronavirus relief package to help their cities.

“The $350 billion in direct relief to state and local governments included in President Elect Biden’s American Rescue Plan would allow cities to preserve critical public sector jobs and help drive our economic recovery. Providing direct, flexible aid to cities is the most efficient and immediate way to help families and their communities who have been suffering for far too long,” wrote the 200-plus mayors.

Among the signers of the letter was City of Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer, along with other U.S. Conference of Mayors members. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and Mayors from Beverly, Everett, Holyoke, Lynn, and New Bedford also signed the letter dated today was sent to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, and Sen. Charles Schumer.

“On behalf of The United States Conference of Mayors, we urge you to take immediate action on comprehensive coronavirus relief legislation, including providing direct fiscal assistance to all cities, which is long overdue. President-elect Biden’s American Rescue Plan contains such assistance as part of an
aggressive strategy to contain the virus, increase access to life-saving vaccines, and create a foundation for sustainable and inclusive recovery,” wrote the 200-plus mayors.

“American cities and our essential workers have been serving at the frontlines of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for nearly a year. We have been charged with executing herculean public health efforts and an unprecedented emergency response. Despite immense fiscal pressure, your local government partners oversaw those efforts, while trying to maintain essential services and increase our internal capacity to provide support for residents and businesses who have been crippled by a tanking economy,” wrote the mayors.

“And yet, as the economic engines of our country, local governments will be relied upon to lead the longterm economic recovery our nation so desperately needs, even as, with few exceptions, cities have been largely left without direct federal assistance. The lack of adequate support has resulted in budget cuts, service reductions, and job losses. Sadly, nearly one million local government jobs have already been lost during the pandemic. Our essential workers deserve federal relief like any other sector,” wrote the mayors.

“Furthermore, cities must be central to a deliberate strategy to accelerate vaccinations throughout the country. We support President-elect Biden’s proposal to mount a national vaccination program and the provision of additional resources to cities to bolster our efforts to contain the spread of the virus,” wrote the Mayors.