Gottheimer announces new federal COVID-19 relief investment to Sussex, Warren counties to date

NEW JERSEY – U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) Thursday announced new, updated reporting on federal COVID-19 relief investment clawed back to every single community in Sussex and Warren Counties in New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District to date, as he urges negotiators to return to the table to reach a new bipartisan COVID-19 relief deal to help North Jersey.

Gottheimer announced today that, of the communities within the Fifth District, Sussex County has received an estimated $292 million and Warren County has received an estimated $228 million — all from the bipartisan CARES Act. For the dollars coming to each individual county, this equates to an average of $3,095 for every Fifth District Sussex County resident and $3,427 for every Fifth District Warren County resident.

Gottheimer also highlighted how the CARES Act dollars allocated directly for Sussex and Warren County governments — $1.8 million and $1.38 million respectively — will be dispersed into the counties’ budgets, by each county submitting documentation to the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) for reimbursement for the COVID-related costs they incurred during this crisis. Additionally, more than $350,000 of that total lump sum will be used by the county governments for a NJDOH-approved testing plan.

“Since the beginning of this crisis, I’ve said that all of our counties, towns, and municipal governments needed federal resources to help them through this, and that’s something I advocated strongly for with the entire congressional delegation, as well as local leaders throughout Warren and Sussex County and the Governor,” Gottheimer said. “To be clear: I will never stop fighting to get North Jersey the resources we need. You have my word on that, and I’m sure you’ve seen me out there day in and day out pushing everyone to get a new COVID agreement done.”

“The federal investment that’s going to our counties is absolutely critical — but even with hundreds of millions of CARES Act dollars coming back to our county governments and our Fifth District families and businesses, that doesn’t mean this crisis is over or that these issues we are facing are solved. I cannot stress this enough: it is absolutely inexcusable that anyone would walk away from the negotiating table right now, as we’re working overtime to pass a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package in Washington. It’s completely unconscionable to leave Americans without the help they desperately need right now, and I will continue doing everything I can to push a bipartisan deal forward that helps us here in North Jersey,” Gottheimer said.

Gottheimer was joined by Vernon Township Mayor Howard Burrell; Andover Township Mayor Michael Lensak; Sussex Borough Mayor Edward Meyer; and PPP recipient Justin Berkowitz of Berks Furniture and Mattress in Hackettstown, Warren County.

Thursday’s new COVID-19 relief investment reporting does not include data not yet broken down by county, including the $6.99+ billion dollars in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and the $578+ million in EIDL Advance loans clawed back to New Jersey small businesses, as well as the $38+ million in health care grants from HHS to New Jersey for frontline health care centers and testing expansion, among others.