Speaker Tina Muna Barnes says funding any interim local assistance with local money to assist thousands of displaced workers while they hang in there for federal assistance would jeopardize lives.

"The logic here is to use whatever limited monies we have to get the medical capacity to where we need it so that we can save lives," the speaker's office said when asked why she moved quickly to give the governor extra powers but didn't move on any effort to provide local assistance for those who need it now.

The speaker's office also said Congressman Mike San Nicolas told Barnes that any local relief bill would also "risk the expedient implementation" of COVID19 federal aid programs.

The c

 

ongressman made a similar argument with the local war claims effort, saying it would jeopardize his federal claims effort, but it did not.