Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, along with other representatives from New York, have sent a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting that future relief legislation include immediate financial assistance to state and local governments that have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the CARES Act included $7.5 billion in assistance for New York State and its large municipalities, it did not include direct funding for local governments with less than 500,000 people, Stefanik’s office said.

The letter, sent by the entire New York Congressional Delegation, requests “robust” funding for all levels of government as well as provisions to ensure states do not use this funding to supplant assistance currently provided to local governments, Stefanik’s office said.

“The North Country needs direct assistance in order to continue to provide essential services to communities,” Stefanik said in a prepared statement. “New York has been the epicenter of this pandemic and those effects have disproportionately affected the economy in our region. I will continue to work with my colleagues to deliver federal relief to our local governments in order to provide the most direct support.”

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