Did US States Get More Money Than They Needed for COVID-19 Relief?

Interviewed for The Conversation, Batten’s Raymond Scheppach says the flood of federal money may have been a rare occurrence in federal-state relations: too much of a good thing.

Photo illustration by Alexandra Angelich, University CommunicationsThe Conversation earlier this week about whether the federal government gave the states more money than they needed. Scheppach is a state budget expert who ran the National Governors Association for 28 years, worked in the Congressional Budget Office for seven years and is considered an authority on state and federal relations.

He says the flood of federal money may have been a rare occurrence in federal-state relations: too much of a good thing.

Q. What can states do with the latest infusion of money from the federal government?

A. States will get $195.3 billion over the next year in extremely flexible funds to be spent essentially on any health care costs or to offset any negative economic effects related to COVID-19.

In addition, states can invest the funds to improve drinking water quality, support wastewater and stormwater treatment capacity and expand broadband access.

Raymond Scheppach is a professor of public policy in UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. (Photo by Dan Addison, University Communications)
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