(CNN) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday to approve special funeral assistance to help New Yorkers bury family members who have succumbed to coronavirus.

Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez, both New York Democrats, made their demands in brief speeches from Corona, Queens, in New York City, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in the country

"So many people with this crisis who don't have money don't have the ability to give a proper funeral and burial to their loved ones who have passed away from this evil illness," Schumer said. "That is outrageous."

"It's bad enough people are losing their jobs, and don't have food to eat, are separated from their families and loved ones," added Schumer. "But to not be able to give a decent funeral and burial to someone who is near and dear to you is outrageous."

Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, said that an average funeral in New York can cost over $11,000. She said coronavirus is "decimating an already vulnerable community."

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