According to a new report from the Wisconsin Examiner, communities across the Badger State received $200 million this week thanks to President Biden and congressional Democrats’ American Rescue Plan — passed last March without the support of a single Republican, including Wisconsin’s very own Ron Johnson who opposed and delayed the COVID relief bill, and has since tripled down on his opposition to the plan’s tax cuts for families.
Johnson may not have been “a real fan” of the American Rescue Plan, but local officials across Wisconsin are grateful for the support — and putting the Johnson-opposed relief funding toward building their communities back better than before.
Wisconsin Examiner: $200 million in ARPA money sent to local governments across Wisconsin
By: Henry Redman | December 1, 2021
Key Points:
- “Local governments big and small across Wisconsin received a total of $200 million through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) this week. The program is meant to help local governments recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and was disbursed by the Wisconsin Department of Administration.”
- “The money, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury, must be used to support public health, address the economic effects of the pandemic, replace public sector revenue, pay essential workers or improve infrastructure such as water, sewer or broadband.”
- “The $1.9 trillion ARPA was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March and Gov. Tony Evers said the funds will help people across the state recover from the damage caused by COVID.”
- “In Cedar Rapids, with a population of 42, Town Chair Jelena Englund says officials are still waiting for guidance on how they can use the $2,198.04 they’ve received through the program.”
- “The City of Brookfield, one of the largest municipalities in the group that received new funds this week, got $2,047,055.26. Finance director Robert Scott says the payment, for now, will go toward replacing revenue sources that still haven’t recovered, like the city’s hotel tax, that help pay for city services.”
Read the full report here.
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Published: Dec 2, 2021 | Last Modified: Dec 3, 2021