COVID-19 decimating local budgets in flyover states already hit hard by manufacturing decline

Washington, D.C. – Tomorrow, bipartisan mayors from Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania will hold a media conference call at 12:00 p.m. ET to discuss the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 on medium and small cities throughout the so-called “rust belt.” Mayors will talk about the harsh financial realities and challenges to protect critical essential services, manage a continuing virus, and re-open their economies. They will call on Congress not to leave their cities behind again, after decades of challenging economic times.

Medium and small cities were left behind in the CARES Act because of a resident population eligibility threshold of 500,000, and mayors are imploring Washington to provide direct, flexible emergency assistance to cities of all sizes in the recovery bill that is currently being negotiated.

The CARES Act omission has already forced many mayors to furlough workers and make other painful cuts to mitigate budget shortfalls, which have been decimated not by their mismanagement, but by declining revenues brought on by the pandemic.

WHAT:

Press Call

WHO:

Greg Fischer, Mayor of Louisville, KY and U.S. Conference of Mayors President

Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton, OH and U.S. Conference of Mayors Vice President

David Scheffler, Mayor of Lancaster, OH

Tim deGeeter, Mayor of Parma, OH

Bill Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA

Matt Pacifico, Mayor of Altoona, PA

Andy Schor, Mayor of Lansing, MI

Bryan Barnett, Mayor of Rochester Hills, MI

Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO & Executive Director

WHEN:

Friday, August 7, 12:00 p.m. ET

CALL-IN INFORMATION: 

Dial: 1 (888) 466-9863

Confirmation Number:  9708 781#

Please provide your full name and outlet to the recording machine upon dialing in to the call.

RSVP: Interested media should RSVP to Sara Durr at sdurr@usmayors.org.