Fort Worth

Congresswoman Granger on Firefighter Grant, Relief Bills, and Reopening Texas

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NBC 5 spoke to Congresswoman Kay Granger at an event in Fort Worth on Friday

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, joined Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger, Mayor Betsy Price, and Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis, to announce changes to the SAFER act, that frees up more money for local fire departments.

“We know how important these grants are to hire firefighters,” said Wolf.

They toured the Fort Worth Fire Department Training Academy.

Granger said these changes to the grants are a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is so important to show our support of firefighters. The firefighters are essential, heroic members of our community,” said Granger.

We talked to Granger about a variety of issues after Friday’s event. The House of Representatives has been working on the response for months. The latest relief bill passed but across party lines.

Granger, who is a Republican, voted against it.

“This would be our third relief bill, and we want it to be relief. And so the bill that came forward had all sorts of things that has nothing to do with the virus or the response to the virus, and so we are talking about an enormous amount of money,” said Granger.

Granger believes there will be another package, and said she wants it to address what is needed right now.

As for opening the state of Texas, she believes state leaders are taking the right approach, saying they are doing a little at a time.

“When this crisis hit, we had two crises. A healthcare crisis and an economic crisis. And the healthcare crisis had to be addressed first. That was completely appropriate. But we can't ignore the economic crisis and that is what is happening. So moving slowly still keeping six feet apart, away. A certain limit, a percentage of people that can come in. I think it works. If it is not working we will stop it,” said Granger.

We asked her if she is comfortable with the reopening, even with the number of cases in Fort Worth, and she told us she is.

The House of Representatives still is not back in Washington full time, but Granger expects to be back next week for votes. She said they are writing bills on the phone while working remotely.


*Map locations are approximate, central locations for the city and are not meant to indicate where actual infected people live.


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