On Friday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, demanding that the state cease paying millions in federal COVID-19 relief funds to schools that don't have mask regulations or that have closed due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
The case, which was filed in federal court in Phoenix a week ago, follows the US Treasury Department's request that Ducey either alters the $163 million program to remove restrictions that it claims are detrimental to public health or face a refund demand.
Arizona Gov. Ducey suing feds to keep school anti-mask rules
Per ABC News, the Treasury Department also wants to modify a $10 million program that Ducey established to reimburse parents for private school tuition if their children's schools have mask mandates.
According to Ducey's complaint, the Treasury Department unilaterally imposed spending limits on the money Arizona gets under President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan Act. It seeks a judge to declare the Treasury Department's guidelines unconstitutional and to permanently halt enforcement as well as any demands that it repay the $173 million it spent on the two initiatives.
In October, the Treasury Department demanded that Ducey alter the programs. It was part of a coordinated attempt to get Arizona and a few other Republican-led states to stop opposing mask regulations or using pandemic cash to further their own objectives.
The following month, Ducey turned down Treasury's request, and this week, the Biden administration issued a formal demand that it stop utilizing the funds for the disputed initiatives or face payback demands or withholding of other funds expected to be received under Biden's COVID-19 relief measure.
The Biden administration has threatened to reclaim COVID-19 relief money granted to Arizona, claiming that state regulations prevent families and school districts from implementing federal instructions suggesting face coverings in classrooms.
Two state initiatives are at issue, both of which are intended to aid schools and kids but both divert funds away from jurisdictions that have mask requirements. Schools in Arizona are eligible for $163 million in financing under the Education Plus-Up Grant Program; however, districts that enforce face coverings are not eligible.
In addition, if their child's school mandates facial coverings, the COVID-19 Educational Recovery Benefit Program gives up to $7,000 to parents, PBS reported.
Mask rules spark an unpleasant environment in the House
Republicans often disregard Democratic-enacted rules forcing legislators to wear masks at the Capitol, highlighting the House's scorched-earth attitude toward the coronavirus.
For much of the outbreak, Republicans and Democrats have been at odds with what restrictions should be implemented to keep the Capitol and the public safe.
Over two years after the initial incidents in the United States, things are worsening, not improving, in terms of individuals abiding by the regulations. Pushing back against Democratic mask regulations has been considered as excellent political by a number of Republicans, as per The Hill.
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Clyde of Georgia, both far-right Republicans, have been penalized at least $148,500 for frequently disobeying the House chamber's mask rule. Greene and Clyde have used their reluctance to wear masks as a badge of honor, and the penalties have gotten them even more attention.
Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee declined this week to comply with Chairman Adam Schiff's (D-Calif.) request that all members be tested for COVID-19 before attending an Iran briefing.
Rep. Michael Turner (Ohio), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, made a point of announcing at the weekly GOP leadership press conference on Wednesday that he and other members of the panel would not agree to be tested before the closed-door briefing scheduled for the next day.
For politicians and employees, the Capitol complex has its own COVID-19 testing station, where PCR test results are usually available the same day. Turner didn't deny the need for testing but claimed that politicians shouldn't be able to take advantage of easy access to COVID-19 testing when many Americans have been having trouble finding tests in recent weeks.
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