Idaho has deployed just $780 million, or 30%, of the $2.6 billion it received under the federal American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law in March. In fact, the rejected funds are just a small portion of the nearly $2 billion in federal relief Idaho has spent since March 2020 to fight the virus and shore up businesses and families, state figures show.īut hundreds of millions more remain untouched. Idaho has accepted some federal COVID-19 help. Little's administration said it had enough money already for those programs.
The state also did not apply for $6 million that would have bolstered two safety-net programs that aid mothers of young children and working families. Idaho has also rebuffed $6 million for early-childhood education, as some Republicans in the state said mothers should be the primary caretakers of their children. At least six studies have found that the extra benefits have had little to no impact on the U.S. Brad Little claimed that money was discouraging the jobless from returning to work. Idaho's experience illustrates how political ideology and polarization around the COVID-19 epidemic have played a role in the decision of mostly conservative states to reject some federal funding meant to help locals officials battle the virus and its economic fallout.įor example, Idaho was one of 26 Republican-led states that ended enhanced federally funded unemployment benefits before they were due to expire in September. Schools in at least 14 of Idaho's 115 districts, including Nampa, have had to close temporarily due to COVID-19 outbreaks since the start of the year, according to Burbio, a digital platform that tracks U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, the state is reporting the fifth-highest infection rate in the United States, at 369 confirmed cases per 100,000 people, according to the U.S. "If you want your kids in school, you can't be testing," said state Representative Ben Adams, a Republican who represents Nampa, a city of about 100,000 people in southwestern Idaho. Others see testing as disruptive and unnecessary, particularly in schools, since relatively few children have died from the disease. Some Idaho legislators have accused Washington of overreach and reckless spending. Another $1.8 billion in pandemic-related federal assistance is sitting idle in the state treasury, waiting for lawmakers to deploy it.
The state’s Republican-led legislature this year voted down $40 million in federal aid available for COVID-19 testing in schools. state of Idaho, health officials say they don’t have enough tests to track the disease’s spread or sufficient medical workers to help the sick. Nov 2 (Reuters) - As the resurgent COVID-19 pandemic burns through the rural U.S.
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