The state of Arizona was warned by the Treasury Department that it could lose more than $170 million in federal funds due to Gov. Doug Ducey's use of the money to establish programs that oppose school mask mandates and Covid-19 measures.
The governor of Arizona speaks at a news conference.
The Associated Press.
If the schools are open for in-person learning and do not have mask mandates in place, Arizona will give money to public and charter schools.
It established a $10 million program that gives money to children and their families whose schools are closed for in-person learning or require masks, which can be used for education-related expenses like tuition for attending a different school.
The Treasury Department wrote in a letter Friday that the policies are ineligible uses of the federal money because they undermine efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19.
The Biden administration gave Arizona 60 days to either redesign the grant programs or lose funding for them if it doesn't.
The Treasury Department warned Arizona in October that it risked losing funding if it didn't fix its policies.
The state of Arizona wrote a letter to the Treasury Department in the past stating that its programs are justified and the use of federal funds is appropriate.
$4 billion. The New York Times states that the federal government has only distributed $2.1 billion of the total amount of money given to Arizona.
Surprising fact.
The ban on school mask mandates was struck down by the Arizona Supreme Court in November, because they were not included in the state budget legislation. The state wrote a letter to the Treasury Department a few days after the Supreme Court ruling that it would not stop withholding funds from schools that require face coverings.
The key background.
The Republican governors of Arizona and several other states have embraced the federal funds provided by the American Rescue Plan. Other Republican-led states have considered using money for controversial uses like immigration measures and tax cuts, though none have yet attracted the attention of the Treasury Department. The Biden administration has taken a stance against state restrictions on school mask mandates, which were imposed in 10 states, though many have since been blocked in court. The Department of Education established a grant program that gave money to schools in Florida that had state funding stopped because they imposed mask mandates.
Relief funds could be lost for undermining school masks.
Arizona will not stop using Covid money for anti-mask grants.
The Arizona high court upheld the ruling blocking the school mask bans.
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