The federal government is preparing to dole out $350 billion to states and local governments—part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package that Congress passed in March.
Under the formula the Biden administration released on Monday, more than $153 billion will go to helping states shore up their budgets after the pandemic and encourage new programs to help people recover, including COVID-19 mitigation efforts, incentive pay for essential workers and improvements to water infrastructure. Another $65.1 billion will flow to counties, $45.6 billion to cities, $20 billion to tribal governments, $4.5 billion to territories and $19.5 billion to non-entitlement units of local government.
A senior administration official told Newsweek Monday that the administration has been in touch with governors and mayors about how they might use the money and would further allow a case-by-case review.
"These are a significant amount of funds," the official said. "We've done considerable outreach."
The funding for states is based partly on unemployment.
GOP lawmakers, none of whom voted for the relief bill, repeatedly decried the funding for states as amounting to a "blue state bailout," but several traditionally Republican strongholds also are among the top beneficiaries.
California is set to get the most at $27 billion, followed by Texas with $15.8 billion.
The official noted that the timing will allow most states to fold the money into the budgets they are currently drafting. The administration heard from several who were "frustrated" by lack of direction on the money they received in a separate aid package last year, the official said.
"What people wanted most was clarity," the official said.
In pressing Congress to pass the massive recovery package, President Joe Biden often said he was afraid that a slimmer proposal would not be enough to help jumpstart the economy and provide relief from the pandemic, which has killed more than 578,000 people over the past year.
The senior official on Monday said Biden worried that the recovery package passed during the economic recession in 2009 during the Obama administration wasn't effective enough because it was too small.
"This is responding to the lessons of the past in a powerful way," the official said.
| State | Total Funding |
| Alabama | $2,120,279,417.00 |
| Alaska | $1,011,788,220.00 |
| Arizona | $4,182,827,491.60 |
| Arkansas | $1,573,121,580.80 |
| California | $27,017,016,860.10 |
| Colorado | $3,828,761,789.90 |
| Connecticut | $2,812,288,081.60 |
| Delaware | $924,597,608.00 |
| District of Columbia | $1,802,441,116.20 |
| Florida | $8,816,581,838.70 |
| Georgia | $4,853,535,459.70 |
| Hawaii | $1,641,602,609.60 |
| Idaho | $1,094,018,353.40 |
| Illinois | $8,127,679,948.70 |
| Indiana | $3,071,830,673.20 |
| Iowa | $1,480,862,558.00 |
| Kansas | $1,583,680,553.30 |
| Kentucky | $2,183,237,290.90 |
| Louisiana | $3,011,136,886.60 |
| Maine | $997,495,130.10 |
| Maryland | $3,717,212,336.40 |
| Massachusetts | $5,286,067,526.40 |
| Michigan | $6,540,417,626.70 |
| Minnesota | $2,833,294,345.30 |
| Mississippi | $1,806,373,345.90 |
| Missouri | $2,685,296,130.80 |
| Montana | $906,418,527.00 |
| Nebraska | $1,040,157,440.40 |
| Nevada | $2,738,837,228.70 |
| New Hampshire | $994,555,877.60 |
| New Jersey | $6,244,537,955.50 |
| New Mexico | $1,751,542,835.00 |
| New York | $12,744,981,589.00 |
| North Carolina | $5,439,309,692.20 |
| North Dakota | $1,007,502,515.00 |
| Ohio | $5,368,386,901.00 |
| Oklahoma | $1,870,417,575.70 |
| Oregon | $2,648,024,988.20 |
| Pennsylvania | $7,291,328,098.40 |
| Rhode Island | $1,131,061,056.70 |
| South Carolina | $2,499,067,328.50 |
| South Dakota | $974,478,793.00 |
| Tennessee | $3,725,832,113.00 |
| Texas | $15,814,388,615.00 |
| Utah | $1,377,866,887.60 |
| Vermont | $1,049,287,303.00 |
| Virginia | $4,293,727,162.20 |
| Washington | $4,427,709,355.90 |
| West Virginia | $1,355,489,988.00 |
| Wisconsin | $2,533,160,626.50 |
| Wyoming | $1,068,484,768.00 |
| TOTAL | $195,300,000,000.00 |
