Gov. Reynolds Sends Back $95 Million in Federal Funding
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and her administration have rejected and sent back over $95 million in federal aid meant to increase COVID testing and safely re-open schools across the nation, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Governor Reynolds stated that Iowa schools have been open for months.
In an April 23rd letter to an official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the director of Iowa Public Health, Kelly Garcia, wrote that the state will return the $95,029,161 that it was sent. The Gazette reports that Garcia stated in the letter that the decision was made along with the Iowa Department of Education.
Governor Reynolds was among five guests on a Fox News program called 'Red State Trailblazers', according to the Gazette. While on the program she touted her law that required in-person learning criticized the current Biden Administration. The governor made the statement that she believed President Biden "thinks the COVID just started."
The Gazette reports that the aid for re-opening schools does have some provisions. The CDC says that the funds can be used for COVID testing at schools that have already re-opened, used at summer camps, school-sponsored functions like graduations, and sporting events. The funds can also be used to offset the cost of contact tracing.
The state of Iowa's letter does include some other interesting language. The Gazette says that if the government changes the ways in which the $95 million can be spent, that the state should be able to use the money for those needs.