A bipartisan coalition of Governors and Mayors from across the United States issued a joint letter urging the Administration and Congress to work swiftly to provide financial stability for the U.S. airline industry and the hard-working men and women whose livelihoods rely on it.
The letter is as follows:
Dear Secretary Mnuchin, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Leader McConnell & Leader Schumer:
As Governors, Mayors and County Executives we are keenly aware that our state and local economies rely heavily on commercial aviation. As you consider the economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we strongly urge Congress and the Administration to work swiftly to provide financial stability for the U.S. airline industry and the hard-working men and women whose livelihoods rely on it. The unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic has caused rapid, severe and unsustainable economic damage and U.S. carriers are in dire need of immediate assistance.
The rapid spread of COVID-19, coupled with government and business-imposed travel restrictions, are having an unprecedented and devastating impact on U.S. airlines. Airlines have seen an extraordinary decline in demand for air travel and inconsistent cargo volume due to business closures and shutdowns, forcing them to remove flights from their schedule and make historic capacity cuts. Demand for business and leisure travel alike has quickly deteriorated as conventions, trade shows, sporting events, meetings and vacations in our states and cities are being cancelled or postponed. This has taken and will continue to take an incredible toll on our state and local economies.
We strongly support immediate and medium to long-term federal assistance to the U.S. aviation industry. Our constituents and local economies are depending on the airline industry to come out of this in a strong position to continue to facilitate travel, tourism and commerce. As state and local leaders, we are also actively working on policies and programs that will assist those that have been impacted by this historic crisis, including the airline industry. We value their impact in our communities and want to do all we can to start an economic recovery. We recognize that even with immediate government assistance it will take time to recover, but time is of the essence. Please work together to act swiftly on this matter of critical importance to all of our citizens.
Very Respectfully,
Governor Greg Abbott, State of Texas
Governor Charlie Baker, State of Massachusetts
Governor Doug Ducey, State of Arizona
Governor Mike Dunleavy, State of Alaska
Governor Tony Evers, State of Wisconsin
Governor Gary Herbert, State of Utah
Governor Asa Hutchinson, State of Arkansas
Governor Jay Inslee, State of Washington
Governor Brian Kemp, State of Georgia
Governor Kevin Stitt, State of Oklahoma
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta, GA
Mayor Vi Lyles, Charlotte, NC
Mayor James Kenney, Philadelphia, PA
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago, IL
Mayor Eric Johnson, Dallas, TX
Mayor Michael Hancock, Denver, CO
Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston, TX
Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake City, UT
Mayor Betsy Price, Fort Worth, TX
Mayor Francis Suarez, Miami, FL
County Executive Dow Constantine, King County, WA
Mayor Dean Trantalis, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mayor Ted Wheeler, Portland, OR
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, Anchorage, AK
Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orlando, FL
Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Honolulu County, HI
Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade County, FL
Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, Raleigh, NC
Mayor G.T. Bynum, Tulsa, OK
Mayor Libby Schaaf, Oakland, CA
Mayor Michael Victorino, Maui County, HI
Mayor Justin Wilson, Alexandria, VA
Mayor Dale V.C. Holness, Broward County, FL
Mayor Nancy Vaughn, Greensboro, NC
Mayor Steve Benjamin, Columbia, SC
Mayor Skip Hall, Surprise, AZ
Mayor Billy Hewes, Gulfport, MS
Mayor David Holt, Oklahoma City, OK
Mayor Harry Kim, Hawaii County, HI
Mayor Lyda Krewson, St. Louis, MO
Mayor Dan Gelber, Miami Beach, FL
County Executive Bob Culver, Wicomico County, MD
Mayor John Giles, Mesa, AZ
Mayor Hardie Davis, Augusta, GA
Mayor Sam Liccardo, San Jose, CA
Mayor Levar Stoney, Richmond, VA
Mayor Scott James Matheson, Valdosta, GA
Mayor Van Johnson, Savannah, GA
Mayor Derek Kawakami, Kauai County, HI
Mayor Skip Henderson, Columbus, GA
Mayor Grover Robinson, Pensacola, FL
Mayor Alexis Hermosillo, El Mirage, AZ
Mayor Robert Reichert, Macon, GA
Mayor Michael Tubbs, Stockton, CA
Mayor Robert Uribe, Douglas, AZ
Mayor JB Whitten, Crestview, FL
Mayor David Smith, Bisbee, AZ
Mayor Cornell Harvey, Brunswick, GA
Mayor Michael LeVault, Youngstown, AZ
Mayor Craig Thurmond, Broken Arrow, OK
Mayor Stephanie Irwin, Pinetop Lakeside, AZ
