ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan, chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), issued the following statement on Wednesday:

“The nation’s governors are urgently requesting an extension of Title 32 authorization. The National Guard remains a critical part of our emergency health response, and we need the administration to grant this extension no later than Friday.

“The administration has made repeated commitments regarding additional funding for state governments in the fourth stimulus—but now this appears not to be a priority, or even a part of the package. The NGA has been raising this issue every week dating back all the way to March.

“We are hopeful that the administration and leaders on both sides of the aisle in Congress can reach a bipartisan consensus to finalize an agreement, as we believe it is essential to the nation’s economic recovery.”