Long Beach is owed millions of dollars in COVID-19 reimbursement funds, city officials wrote to exiting President Joe Biden earlier this month.

In a Jan. 3 letter, officials said the city applied for $45.6 million from FEMA, to replace the cost of medical supplies, vaccines and homeless shelters it expensed during the worst of the pandemic.

Yet so far, the city has received $19.8 million — less than half of what they paid.

A city spokesperson said Wednesday that the city expects FEMA to reimburse Long Beach “eventually.” If it doesn’t, at least not in the next year, the city will run at a loss, causing its Health Department — which relies heavily on federal grants to operate — to pull from the general fund, likely at the risk of cutting programs or staff elsewhere.

“If FEMA doesn’t eventually reimburse any of the $25.8 million to the City, then the City’s General Fund ($755 million this fiscal year) would ultimately absorb the loss,” said Jennifer De Prez, a city spokesperson. “That would trigger City Manager recommendations and City Council decisions on how to fund it, perhaps through the use of General Fund reserves on a one-time basis.”

The letter follows another sent last month by 40 members of California’s congressional delegation, including Long Beach’s Rep. Robert Garcia.

According to Garcia, the state as a whole is owed more than $4 billion it accrued in its response to the coronavirus. “Budget gaps and cash flow challenges” anticipated in Long Beach extend across the state and nation, according to the letter, which suggested there may be financial hardships in future years.

“The state worked with local and county officials to set up testing locations, distribute millions of masks, and provide vaccines to millions of people,” the letter read. “These swift actions helped California mitigate the spread, but it came at a large cost to the state.”

But funding is “moving forward,” Garcia assured in a call Wednesday, adding that California delegates have been in “constant communication” with the White House and FEMA to ensure the state is recompensed for what it’s owed.

“I think FEMA just sometimes takes (its) time,” he explained. “COVID is incredibly complicated, probably the biggest and most complicated effort that it’s ever been engaged in.”

Representatives with FEMA did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

This comes as congressional leaders in Washington, D.C., spar over the idea of conditions attached to federal aid sent to wildfire victims in Southern California.

The fires in Los Angeles County have since Jan. 7 destroyed thousands of homes, scorched more than 60 square miles of California hillside and killed at least 25 people. Tens of thousands more people remain displaced by evacuation orders, while curfews remain in several regions from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The two largest fires — the Palisades and Eaton wildfires — continue to burn, officials said.

With just days left in office, Biden promised that the federal government over the next six months will cover all costs related to California’s disaster response.

“We are with you,” Biden said in a direct address to Southern California. “We’re not going anywhere.”

But it remains uncertain how much or how quickly funding will be released by President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn into office on Jan. 20. During his first term, Trump oversaw the disbursement of $4 billion in federal aid in response to six wildfires in California. Officials worry Trump will agree to delay or earmark funding with conditions, though no final decisions have been made.

Money will likely roll out through fire management grants and a disaster declaration to pay for clearing debris, removing hazardous materials and pay salaries for first responders. The Los Angeles wildfires will not affect the pandemic reimbursement, Garcia said, explaining these are two separate pots of money.