Washington, DC—The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) held a joint press conference today, calling on Congress to pass the direct fiscal assistance to cities and counties included in the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan. After the press conference, they released the following joint statement:

“Every day that goes by without passage of a COVID-19 relief package with direct aid to cities and counties pushes the American people and the cities and counties they live in deeper into crisis. With COVID-19 still ravaging communities throughout the country, cities and counties are approaching one year on the frontlines of this virus. Congress has almost entirely left behind local governments, forcing painful fiscal choices that are not only hindering efforts to contain the virus, but will continue to hamper vaccine distribution and will have a lasting impact on economic recovery.

“The Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan includes $350 billion in direct flexible assistance to state and local governments. If Congress fails to deliver on this critical aid, the American people will feel it for years. Failure means more jobs lost, continued disruption to essential services and cities and counties unable to support the economic recovery we all need. Congress must pass the Biden Administration’s American rescue plan with direct, flexible fiscal assistance to cities and counties.”