The $1.5 trillion plan aims to fix roads and bridges, upgrade transit systems and expand railways and ports. The bill will also give $100 billion to broadband expansion and $25 billion to the U.S. Postal Service.
In April, Gov. Newsom launched an initiative to increase COVID-19 testing accessibility for rural towns and disadvantaged neighborhoods. The state will no longer fund new testing sites, even as infections increase.
The fiscal year begins in most states and cities on July 1. Without further federal aid, many will have to re-examine just-passed budgets for cuts down the road.
Nearly half a million residents currently live without high-speed Internet. As people work and learn from home, there is an urgency for connectivity. “Education cannot be effective or available without broadband.”
As Wyoming faces its largest revenue decline in state history, Gov. Gordon asks departments to plan for a 20 percent cut to budgets while some lawmakers are worried the stimulus money isn’t being used fast enough.
The program, a cluster of tax loopholes, is making fat cats fatter without doing much about racial inequities and urban joblessness. There are ways to reform it to benefit those it was touted to help.
Trump wants to cut $127 million from the Biological Threat Reduction Program and redirect the funding toward “more pressing defense initiatives.” Bipartisan concerns have been raised about the proposal.
Charter schools in New Orleans have applied for federal loans through the Payroll Protection Program, receiving anywhere from $97,000 to $5.1 million. Public schools are ineligible for the same loans.
The city council has approved a slimmer budget as the city expects a $103 million revenue loss for the upcoming fiscal year. Notably, the proposal cuts $23 million that typically goes to law enforcement.
Protestors are calling for cities to ‘defund the police,’ but the odds of that happening are low. Philadelphia will be watching to see what happens in Minneapolis as the city considers such a move.
The Baltimore City Council must review the $3 billion budget amid the coronavirus-induced recession, a recent ransomware attack, and protests over police brutality. Many foresee budget cuts and reallocations.