How states are using, and misusing, funds from the American Rescue Plan
Governors benefit politically today, but they are creating liabilities for tomorrow
WHEN KAY IVEY, Alabama’s governor, announced a plan to build two new 4,000-bed prisons, Democrats and progressive activists were unsurprisingly opposed. One objection was to how the construction would be financed: $400m would come from the state’s $2.1bn share of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This was intended partly to relieve states from the economic and health toll of the covid-19 pandemic.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Take the money and run”
United States February 26th 2022
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From the February 26th 2022 edition
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