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The leaders of U.S. states of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado on Monday sent a joint letter to congressional leaders, requesting 1 trillion U.S. dollars in financial help.
The letter from the five-state Western States Pact said that those states are facing "unprecedented and ongoing economic challenges" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If there were no such aid, they would have to make some "impossible decisions," including stopping funding public healthcare and laying off teachers, police officers and firefighters, among other first responders.
"It's clear that COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future -- and without federal support, states and cities will be forced to make impossible decisions. That's why our Western States Pact is urgently requesting $1 trillion in relief to states local governments," Oregon Governor Kate Brown tweeted Monday morning.
The Western States Pact is turning to the federal government for financial help, California Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday.
Newsom indicated at his daily briefing Monday morning that those states had to make this move since the pandemic's economic impact was yet to come even though the local governments had been suffering a lot, seeing a record amount of business failures and unemployment rates.
"This is the requirement of this moment," said Newsom, "That gives you a sense of the thrust of the need that we are all feeling as states, as regions, as cities."
Newsom said he anticipated California's unemployment rate to climb up to 25 percent as a result of the fatal disease pandemic and the state would face a multi-billion dollar budget deficit after years of surplus.
A memo released by Newsom's office Thursday said due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government would face a 54.3-billion-dollar budget deficit through next summer.
The pact was launched last month for the members to coordinate measures to fight the fatal disease and economic consequences.
(CGTN)
