Toledo area lacks direct access to relief mechanisms enacted by the CARES Act. Department of Treasury approval would ensure a fair allocation of relief funds getting to Northwest Ohioans in Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Wood, and Fulton Counties
Toledo, OH – Today (Wednesday), Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), sent a letter to Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, urging the certification of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments’ (TMACOG) request for direct federal funding from the Department of the Treasury through the Coronavirus Relief Fund. Toledo is without direct access to relief funding enacted by the CARES Act, because it falls short of the 500,000 benchmark by just 70,000 residents under the existing formula. TMACOG represents more than 800,000, including residents of Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Wood, and Fulton counties in Ohio. The letter is available here.
“I am disappointed that President Trump and Senate Republicans forced a provision into the CARES Act that restricts direct coronavirus relief funding for tightly-knit economic regions such as ours,” said Rep. Kaptur. “President Trump kicked off his 2020 campaign in Toledo just a few months ago, where he made promised to help the people of and City of Toledo. And yet, Toledo and surrounding communities will not receive direct assistance through the Coronavirus Relief Fund, and thus are faced with a decision to cut life-saving services. Congressional Democrats will continue to fight for more emergency funding directly for local governments based on population and need. But we need President Trump and Senate Republicans to come to the table. With unemployment drastically rising in the region, northwest Ohio needs a fair shake from the President and approval from the Treasury of our regional request and not more empty promises. We must ensure local governments and taxpayers in our region receive back a fair share of the tax dollars they have sent to Washington.”
“We fought to secure direct assistance for Northwest Ohio,” said Senator Brown. “Local governments shouldn’t have to choose between tax hikes and laying off public safety officials like police officers, sheriffs and firefighters. I urge the Department of Treasury to quickly approve the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments’ request for direct federal assistance, so Northwest Ohioans can get the relief they need to remain safe and healthy during this time.”
“TMACOG represents more than 800,000 people in six counties,” said Tim Brown, President of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments. “We have the experience and the efficiencies to manage the program for governments in our region.”
“TMACOG’s request to the U.S. Treasury to fund our region’s local governments is in response to the reality that smaller cities, villages, and townships within our counties are bearing huge burdens in the Covid-19 response,” said Mark Stahl, Chair of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments and Ottawa County Commissioner. “They deserve funding for their efforts on the frontline of public safety.”
The text of the letter is available below and online here.
