Senators urged the Secretary of Homeland Security to allow Pima County the full use of its EFSP funds
WASHINGTON – Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly released the following statement after successfully securing approval from the Administration to allow Pima County to use its 2022 Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) Funds.
“I’m proud to secure these funds helping Pima County keep Arizonans and migrants safe. It was wrong from the start for the Administration to stop Pima County from using these funds while we manage a crisis we did not create due to Washington’s failures,” said Sinema.
“As we’ve faced this border crisis, Pima County has gone above and beyond to assist with an unprecedented number of asylum seekers in Arizona. After several personal calls and meetings with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Chair of the EFSP Board, we were finally able to unlock this funding that Pima County needs. It’s unfair for this burden to fall on Arizona communities, and I won’t stop fighting until we have a secure, humane, and fair process at the border,” said Kelly.
Recently, both Senators urged the Emergency Food and Shelter Program National Board to approve Pima County’s application to use its remaining 2022 EFSP funds. Sinema and Kelly also urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allocate Shelter and Services Program funding from 2023’s Continuing Resolutions.