ATLANTA – Road improvements are on hold in the suburban Atlanta town of Union City. In Dayton, Ohio, annual training classes for new police officers and firefighters are slated for cancellation.
City agencies in Arlington, Texas, have been cut by up to 8%, with officials bracing for more later this year. The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has squeezed many city budgets and prompted mayors and local leaders — both Republicans and Democrats — to look to Washington for help.
But Republicans in Washington have stood in the way of sending federal aid to cities, leaving local leaders and public employee unions worried they'll get shortchanged as Congress negotiates the next COVID-19 response package.