![]() James Comer (R-KY), says will be many hearings examining how federal pandemic relief dollars were spent. ![]() And the GOP-controlled House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on Wednesday held the first of what its chair, Rep. The Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy has criticized tax cuts that it says are squandering revenue built up in part by the federal relief funds. The American Civil Liberties Union in a letter earlier this month requested that the Treasury Department investigate the misuse of ARPA funds. But civil rights groups and think tanks focused on economic and tax policy have pointed out that the money has gone to build prisons, offset tax cuts, and fund initiatives completely counter to improving public health, such as Arizona’s $163 million program to give grants to schools that didn’t have mask mandates. Much of the money went - as it was intended - to deal with the COVID-19 public health emergency, including social programs benefiting low-income communities, grants to help small businesses stay open and pay for essential workers. Of the $198 billion authorized by Congress in 2021, $173 billion already has been appropriated by states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. ![]() ![]() As states plan how they’ll spend the $25 billion remaining in federal COVID relief funds, some also are facing criticism and renewed scrutiny over how they allocated money already received from the American Rescue Plan Act. ![]()
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