Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement in response to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) new program aimed at aiding those struggling to cover the funeral costs for family members who have perished due to COVID-19:
"I applaud FEMA's new funeral assistance program for families who have lost loved ones to the COVID-19 virus. Everyone deserves to say goodbye to their family members and grieve their loss without having to worry about the outstanding financial burdens of a funeral. The emotional burden that families have gone through during that last year is already too much. I am glad that our government is working to ease suffering through programs like this.
"I also want to celebrate the work of my colleagues who have advocated for this assistance from the beginning. I look forward to continuing working alongside them to keep helping those who have borne the brunt of this pandemic." said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia.
This program would help families -- particularly those with low income -- by providing them with up to $9,000 in assistance. In the Houston area, the cost of an average funeral is between seven and eight thousand dollars.