Rep. Estes Reacts to Gov. Kelly's Emergency Declaration Misinformation

WASHINGTON – Yesterday Gov. Laura Kelly misinformed Kansans by claiming the state was ineligible for federal support because it lacked a COVID-19 emergency declaration. Rep. Estes has been in regular contact with federal agencies to ensure that COVID-19 relief funds are available for Kansas even without a state emergency declaration.

"Gov. Kelly's statement regarding federal COVID-19 funds being tied to a state's emergency declaration is blatantly false and has been discredited repeatedly by federal agencies. Lifting a state's emergency declaration does not affect the availability of FEMA relief funds. Simply put, Gov. Kelly is trying to play politics; attempting to blame other elected officials is a failure of leadership. There is enough misinformation being spread about COVID already. She should be applying for federal funds and appropriately utilizing the billions of dollars already allocated to Kansas. With a record surplus in funds, it's shameful that Gov. Kelly is trying to mislead Kansans into thinking she needs more power in the Sunflower State."

Ron Estes, one of only a handful of engineers in Congress, worked in the aerospace, energy and manufacturing sectors before representing Kansas’ 4th Congressional District since 2017. He is a fifth-generation Kansan, former state treasurer, and serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Joint Economic Committee.

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