Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has called on President Trump to convince Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to support federal disaster assistance for state and state without any further delay. In a letter to the President, the County Executive urged him to directly intervene and bring Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on board with passing another federal COVID-19 assistance bill that directly shores up state and local governments so that our police officers, first responders, public health workers and other essential employees can continue the battle against this deadly virus.
A copy of the County Executive’s letter appears below.
Dear President Trump:
I am writing to you on behalf of thousands of police officers, public health nurses, emergency responders and essential employees to beseech you to convince Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to support federal disaster assistance for state and local governments without any further delay. Every member of our Congressional delegation – Republican and Democrat – unanimously supports this critical disaster aid.
As our President, you are the only person in the nation who can make this happen and we need your support now.
Suffolk County has been at the epicenter of the COVID-19 global pandemic and this deadly virus has taken a devastating toll on all aspects of our community. We have lost more than 2,000 lives in our county alone. Unemployment has more than tripled and countless businesses remain shuttered, many never to re-open again. Throughout this all, Suffolk County residents have persevered and done everything required to beat COVID-19 back. Now as we look forward to a vaccine or some therapeutic treatment that would allow us to move past this virus and start down the long road of recovery, we are reckoning with the tremendous economic damage inflicted by COVID-19.
To put it simply: COVID-19 has decimated the finances of local government. A lack of federal disaster assistance will inevitably result in devastating cuts to vital police, fire and health services. Through federal inaction, Washington would effectively be defunding public safety and public health and other essential functions critical to our recovery at the worst possible time.
Respectfully, we are out of time. I am requesting that you directly intervene by bringing Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on board with passing another federal COVID-19 assistance bill that directly shores up state and local governments so that our police officers, first responders, public health workers and other essential employees can continue the battle against this deadly virus.
Sincerely,
Steven Bellone
Suffolk County Executive
