April 27, 2020 3:15 a.m.
On Saturday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown responded to new guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department that restricts how states can use funds from the federal CARES Act.
Brown said “because of the sacrifices states have made to stem the spread of COVID-19, our economy and state revenues have taken a significant hit”. She said “it is a blatant disregard of the challenges states are facing and the reality of the economy for the U.S. Treasury to prohibit the use of CARES Act funds for state revenue shortfalls”. Brown said without that flexibility, cuts to vital state services during the public health crisis will result.
Brown said the sacrifices made by Oregonians are working. She said estimates show that in Oregon alone – through social distancing – as many as 70,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,500 hospitalizations have been prevented.
She said she will continue to advocate for changes to federal guidance that will allow states to use CARES Act funding to supplement lost revenue, or for additional funding sources that can be used that way. Brown said without those funds “the state will be forced to make difficult budget cuts at a time when Oregonians need state services more than ever”.