“Congress surely did not contemplate state governments deciding that well, you know, we’re just not going to use this money to actually improve lives of people ... instead we’re going to blow $400 million on building fancy new prisons that don’t even really get at the problems.”

Dev Wakeley, a policy analyst with Alabama Arise, regarding the state’s consideration of using $400 million in pandemic relief funds to build new prisons. Some argue that while it may be legal, building prisons with American Rescue Plan Act funds was not how Congress intended the money be spent. (Associated Press — September 26, 2021)