New Jersey’s Congressional delegation secured $43.7 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) grants for the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management.
Combined with prior efforts, New Jersey has been awarded $93 million in PA grants to help support the state’s frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“New Jersey’s first responders continue to put their health and safety on the line, so it’s imperative they have the resources they need to combat this public health crisis,” said Sen. Cory Booker.
Prior and Future Efforts
New Jersey previously received separate grants of $21.3 million and $26.1 million via FEMA PA, awarded to the New Jersey State Police.
Additionally, $2.3 million was secured for the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management.
“Our men and women in uniform are leading the battle on the frontlines to keep our communities safe,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. “They are routinely at risk of becoming infected due to the high volume of emergency calls. Because of this, we need all the help we can get from the federal government.”
Looking to the Future
However, the funding only accounts for 75% of the cost incurred by the state police to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, as the guidelines require awardees to pay the remaining quarter of the costs.
Sen. Bob Menendez and Sen. Booker both called on the Trump administration to waive the cost-sharing clause.
“I’ll continue pushing FEMA to eliminate the local cost-sharing for grants and work to ensure our state receives the funding and resources it needs to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Sen. Menendez.
