Press Releases
Graves Leads Congressional Effort in Partnership with Governor Edwards to Maximize Federal Funding to Greatest Immediate Relief Efforts
Washington, DC,
April 2, 2020
U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) sent a letter today to Governor John Bel Edwards urging him to carefully evaluate the needs of local governments and their role in this public health emergency. Graves was joined by the members of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation in the letter. Read the letter HERE. "Locals on the ground know the best practices to handle this pandemic and we should be empowering them to make the decisions. They need the funds and resources as soon as possible to address their greatest needs," Graves said. Louisiana is slated to receive $1,800,000,000 ($1.8 billion) directly from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), or an amount nearly equal to 20 percent of the state's annual general fund expenditures. The federal law provides broad flexibility on the use of these funds to cover costs incurred as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 and not anticipated in the state's most recent budget. The law requires that 45 percent of the funds be set aside for larger local governments entities. In the case of Louisiana, the entire allocation will be provided directly to the state government. A full video of Graves' remarks following the passage of the CARES Act can be also be found on Facebook. Click here for more Coronavirus information on Graves' website. ### |