President Donald Trump approved the disaster declaration for the state of Kentucky on Saturday, granting the state increased access to federal resources.
Kentucky joins numerous other states that have already had disaster declarations approved, including California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Pete Gaynor named Gracia Szczech to lead the organization’s efforts in the state. (RELATED: Mitch McConnell Restructures Campaign Into Meals Effort For Kentuckians Affected By Coronavirus)
“Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and ordered Federal assistance to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease,” the White House said in a statement.
The declaration comes one day after Trump signed the phase three, $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill Friday. The bill grants a $1,200 check to every American making less than $75,000 annually, with payments to be deposited in three weeks.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already said she plans to begin drafting a fourth spending bill, but her Republican colleagues are more reluctant. (RELATED: Pelosi Says Senate Coronavirus Bill Is Discriminatory To Residents In DC, One Day Before House Vote)
“I wouldn’t be so quick to say you have to write something else,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said at a press conference Thursday. “Let’s let this bill work, just as long as we let the other two bills work as well. And whatever decision we have to make going forward, let’s do it with knowledge, let’s do it with the experience of what’s on the ground at that moment in time.”