As the $1.9 trillion federal relief bill works its way through Congress, it's drawing complaints from some state officials who see their share of funding diminished. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act will funnel more coronavirus aid into states with greater unemployment, even though some have economies that weren’t hit as hard by the pandemic.
Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted says the bill bases aid on fourth quarter unemployment numbers rather than population, which was used in previous aid.
Husted points out Ohio ranks 21st in the amount of state funding it receives under the current proposal. But it would have ranked seventh under the previous formula. He says Ohio's 5.5 percent unemployment rate in December 2020 will cost the state over 800 million dollars in federal aid.
"Doing things that put people back to work actually are going to cost us relief dollars that the people who aren't back to work actually need."
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine says he has lobbied Ohio's U.S. Senators for a change. The White House is defending its distribution plan. It says the plan targets money to areas where it will have the biggest impact.
