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The Treasury Department knowledgeable Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) Tuesday that he can’t use federal COVID-19 funding on education grants directed at discouraging masks mandate in colleges, AP experiences.
Why it issues: In a letter to Ducey, the division stated Arizona was misusing the funds by using them to undermine compliance with public well being measures aimed toward stopping the unfold of the virus, per the New York Times.
The massive image: “We are concerned that two recently created Arizona grant programs undermine evidence-based efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19,” deputy Treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo wrote within the letter, per the Times.
- Arizona was allotted $4.2 billion in federal pandemic aid and has obtained roughly half of that quantity thus far, the Times experiences.
- Ducey created the grant packages in August as a way to intensify stress on colleges defying the state’s ban on masks mandates, per AP.
- They encompass a $163 million grant program that gives $1,800 in further funding per pupil—with the caveat that colleges with masks mandates are ineligible—and a $10 million program funding vouchers for households who want to go away colleges with masks mandates or different COVID-19 restrictions.
The backside line: If Ducey doesn’t change or finish the packages within the subsequent 30 days the state might even see the federal aid rescinded, per the Times.
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