WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), both members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $2,802,164 to the West Virginia Division of Emergency Management. This funding, which is through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is allocated to reimburse state management costs (SMC) as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution, vaccination sites, sanitization and disinfection, and non-congregate sheltering.
“Our response to COVID-19 in West Virginia depended greatly on our communities’ ability to mobilize and set up public assistance programs that dispersed PPE and disinfected materials, as well as ones that offered the COVID-19 vaccine. During this time, we relied heavily on medical professionals, volunteers, and National Guard troops on the front line, and there is no doubt that their service saved lives,” Senator Capito said. “We must make sure our state has the resources needed to cover costs that accrued during the pandemic, and I’m glad to use my role on the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee to assist in that effort.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has tested every American and over the past two years West Virginians have worked together to keep our loved ones safe. Our frontline workers have gone above and beyond to care for their fellow West Virginians during the crisis, and I am pleased FEMA is investing in West Virginia to provide the resources we need to continue testing, operating vaccination clinics and distributing PPE. We must ensure our frontline workers and healthcare professionals continue to be properly equipped throughout this crisis,” Senator Manchin said. “As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for funding to assist those on the frontlines and keep West Virginians safe.”
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