Led by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, 22 governors, including Missouri’s Mike Parson (R-MO), have released a joint statement opposing the new standard in President Joe Biden’s stimulus bill for how federal funds would be allocated to states:
“Unlike all previous federal funding packages, the new stimulus proposal allocates aid based on a state’s unemployed population rather than its actual population, which punishes states that took a measured approach to the pandemic and entered the crisis with healthy state budgets and strong economies.
“A state’s ability to keep businesses open and people employed should not be a penalizing factor when distributing funds. If Congress is going to provide aid to states, it should be on an equitable population basis.”
Governors who joined the statement in addition to Parson include Kay Ivey (R-AL), Mike Dunleavy (R-AK), Doug Ducey (R-AZ), Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Brian Kemp (R-GA), Brad Little (R-ID), Eric Holcomb (R-IN), Kim Reynolds (R-IA), Laura Kelly (D-KS), Tate Reeves (R-MS), Greg Gianforte (R-MT), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Chris Sununu (R-NH), Doug Burgum (R-ND), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Kevin Stitt (R-OK), Henry McMaster (R-SC), Kristi Noem (R-SD), Bill Lee (R-TN), Spencer Cox (R-UT) and Mark Gordon (R-WY).
While Gov. Asa Hutchinson was not among those in the group of 22, the statement indicates Arkansas is expected to lose funding under the proposal.
The 33 states expected to lose funding under this proposal, which was adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives this morning, include the following:
-Alabama
-Alaska
-Arkansas
-Delaware
-Florida
-Georgia
-Idaho
-Indiana
-Iowa
-Kansas
-Kentucky
-Maine
-Minnesota
-Mississippi
-Missouri
-Montana
-Nebraska
-New Hampshire
-North Carolina
-North Dakota
-Ohio
-Oklahoma
-Oregon
-South Carolina
-South Dakota
-Tennessee
-Utah
-Vermont
-Virginia
-Washington
-West Virginia
-Wisconsin
-Wyoming
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