While she preens her budget-hawk feathers by rejecting $3 million for climate change planning, Governor Noem isn’t sending back any of the more than $10 billion in pandemic relief and stimulus that came to South Dakota under the previous Administration. Nor is she refunding the $3.8 billion that will ultimately come from the American Rescue Plan enacted by the current Administration:
In congressional funding packages passed on a bipartisan basis between March and December 2020, South Dakota was allocated about $10.1 billion in coronavirus stimulus funding that helped keep state residents and the economy alive. Some of the money went directly to state government, while the majority was used to support businesses, individuals, health care providers and schools and universities during the pandemic.
But when it comes to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) enacted by Biden and congressional Democrats in March 2021, Republicans from South Dakota have been extremely critical of the program, even though it will provide an estimated $3.8 billion to the state through December 2026.
Of that total, about $1.4 billion in ARPA money is being given directly to the state, cities and counties for a wide range of programs to “support households, small businesses, impacted industries, essential workers and hardest-hit communities,” according to a state fiscal report obtained exclusively by South Dakota News Watch. The report also indicates that “these funds can also be used to make necessary investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure” [Bart Pfankuch, “South Dakota Republicans Criticize Program That Provided $3.8B to State,” South Dakota News Watch, 2023.03.30].
Federal spending doesn’t hurt South Dakota’s economy. Federal spending keeps South Dakota’s economy and government alive.
Is everyone in SD getting a $16,000 check?
Didn’t think so.
sx123. In actuality they are. How your wonderful representatives spend it is the Jack in the box.
I recently missed two weeks of work due to the COVID virus.
Will I get a stimulus check to make up for my lost wages?
That’s where some of this new found government money could go!
COVID is still making it’s rounds in our SD communities.
This piece conveniently left out the fact that substantially all of this money is financed by deficient spending. 30+ TRILLION in federal debt already but why not just keep running the printing presses and add some more free money. At some point we all will have a steep price to pay for financial irresponsibly by politicians, both D and R. DFP is wrong. Irresponsible and repeated federal deficit spending does hurt SD. Maybe not today, but the bill will come due at some future time. It won’t be pretty.