Governors Call for Trump Admin to Renew Public Health Emergency Declaration

The National Governors Association (NGA) is calling for President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate the public health emergency declaration amid the continued surge in coronavirus cases.

The organization —which consists of the United States’ 55 governors of states and territories— took to Twitter on Wednesday morning with a press release asking White House officials to renew the declaration.

“ are calling on to formally renew the Public Health Emergency declaration for , which otherwise would expire July 25,” the tweet read. “States need every tool available to combat this deadly .”

The press release noted that although the pandemic response has been ongoing, many states are now seeing such alarming surges in infection rates they have been forced to pause, or even “roll back reopenings.”

“Despite months of response to the coronavirus pandemic, many states have hit record numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases, causing many governors to pause or roll back reopenings,” the NGA said in the press release.

The governors have noted that the previous public health declaration and other emergency declarations would allow them to tap into additional funding to combat the virus.

The Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAPs) would also provide additional resources and funding to test people who may be uninsured or categorized as “critical regulatory flexibilities.”

As the NGA requests the renewal of the declaration, Democratic and Republican governors have taken to Twitter to show their support for the renewal.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey