WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker today announced the awarding of $91,533,584.41 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to support New Jersey’s COVID-19 response and recovery. The funding represents retroactive reimbursement for COVID-related costs after the Biden Administration, at the senators’ urging, eliminated the local cost share for certain eligible expenses.

After Sen. Menendez’s years-long push to reform how FEMA responds to disasters, last month the agency answered his call to eliminate the cost-sharing requirements for disaster grants. This directive allows states and local governments to be retroactively reimbursed at 100% for eligible expenses to combat COVID-19 incurred since Jan. 2020, and to apply for full reimbursement for additional eligible expenses going forward.

“With FEMA eliminating the local cost-sharing requirement, New Jersey is now eligible to receive millions of dollars in additional federal funding to help our state continue responding and recovering from the impacts of this pandemic,” said Sen. Menendez. “This additional funding will ensure our communities, health care providers and first responders have the resources they need to protect the health and safety of all New Jerseyans.”
“Since the start of this health crisis, state and local governments across the nation have experienced significant cuts in revenue that threaten the loss of vital public services,” said Sen. Booker. “These additional federal funds will provide millions of dollars in reimbursements to our state for COVID-19 related expenses incurred within the past year, helping ease the strain on our communities and allowing New Jersey to continue its fight against the ongoing pandemic.”

In May, Sen. Menendez led bipartisan legislation to eliminate cost-share payments required of states and communities included in federal disaster declarations in 2020. He also led bipartisan requests from both the New Jersey congressional delegation and his Senate colleagues calling on President Trump to completely eliminate the local cost-sharing for FEMA disaster grants. Sen. Booker joined him in those efforts.

The following grants were awarded:

Hackensack Meridian Health – $39,518,887.41

New Jersey State Police – $32,439,617.80

New Jersey Department of Health – $7,796,084.50

Virtua Health – $3,652,052.52

Cooper University Hospital – $2,501,064.05

Care Plus – $2,257,784.54

Salem County Hospital - $2,182,981.80

Bergen County – $1,185,111.79

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