GREENSBORO, N.C. — More than 400 mayors across the country, including 13 in North Carolina have signed a letter endorsing President Joe Biden's COVID-19 relief plan.
Mayors of two of the Triad's largest cities, Greensboro and Winston-Salem, were among the mayors who signed the letter from The United States Conference of Mayors.
Monday's letter was aimed at drawing congressional support for direct financial assistance to cities which is part of Biden's plan. The mayors hope that Congress would pass the plan.
Some members of the GOP have criticized Biden's $1.9 trillion economic relief bill as too expensive. On Monday, Biden met with a group of Republican Senators who had drafted an alternative $618 billion relief package.
“Local governments have been impacted significantly by the pandemic and yet have gotten very little direct assistance from the federal government. I joined with other mayors to support federal funds to ensure that we are able to provide the level of service our citizens want,” said Mayor Allen Joines of Winston-Salem in a statement to WFMY News 2.
"With the last coronavirus relief bill, there wasn't a lot of direct funding to cities. It went to populations with over 500,000 which meant that Charlotte, Mecklenburg, Wake, and Guilford all got funding," said Mayor Nancy Vaughan of Greensboro.
Vaughan said the City of Greensboro got barely $3 million out of a $93 million-plus CARES Act Coronavirus relief package sent to the Guilford County government in 2020.
She said while the city has received additional funds since then, it still has not been adequate enough to fulfill the needs of a city like Greensboro in light of the pandemic.
The allocation disparity is why the US mayors signed the letter to support direct funding for additional community programs and operations.
"We haven't even started to talk about revenue. We've lost a lot of revenue by not having our venues being used like the Greensboro Coliseum. So that's $7.5 million that we've lost in revenue alone which would have an impact on the bottom line," Vaughan said.
The USCM addressed the letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.
"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," the first paragraph of the letter read.
"President 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."
The letter said the $350 billion in direct relief to state and local governments included in President Biden's American Rescue Plan would allow cities to preserve critical public sector jobs and help drive our economic recovery.
The funds, the mayors say would provide direct, flexible aid to cities in the most efficient and immediate way to help families and their communities who have been suffering for far too long due to the impacts of the pandemic.
"President 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."
"Your quick action on President Biden's plan is a crucial step to making meaningful progress in one of the most challenging moments in our country's history," the letter continued.
Read the full letter here
