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MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today provided an updated accounting of federal funds invested in public health, emergency response efforts, and economic stabilization in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds were allocated by the Evers Administration from the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund, which was made available to Wisconsin through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
“Whether expanding testing, supporting families, or helping local businesses keep the lights on, these funds have been critical to our statewide response to the pandemic,” said Gov. Evers. “While there’s light at the end of the tunnel with vaccine distribution beginning across our state and nation, we are not out of the woods yet and in order to continue our response into the new year we will need robust support from the federal government.”
To date, nearly $2 billion in federal funds have been invested in emergency response efforts, public health measures, and economic support initiatives for Wisconsin residents, businesses, and communities. As of Dec. 4, 2020, the state has expended $949.1 million and obligated an additional $414.3 million. An additional $635.9 million in funds has been committed for distribution by the end of December. Roughly $900,000 remains reserved to ensure the state continues to have the flexibility to respond to emerging needs. Allocations will continue to be updated to reflect re-estimates based on actual cost information. Under the CARES Act, these federal CRF dollars must be expended by Dec. 30, 2020, and may not be carried over into the new year leaving Wisconsin and other states facing a significant cliff in available funding despite the ongoing pandemic.
A chart of CARES funding allocations is available for review here.
Additional information on these efforts is available on Wisconsin’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Investment dashboard website. The website provides transparent and regularly updated information regarding how and where Wisconsin is investing federal funding, including significant funding from the federal CARES Act.
As of yesterday, Wisconsin has had 438,895 positive COVID-19 cases, 19,326 hospitalizations, and 4,068 deaths due to COVID-19. Current trends continuing to show an increase in cases in Wisconsin, requiring continued investment in these detection and mitigation efforts. The Administration is continuing to make regular revisions to allocations to reflect actual costs to ensure Wisconsin can utilize funds before the federal deadline.
The update coincides with the submission of a report to the U.S. Treasury on CARES Act expenditures through September 30, 2020. A final report of expenditures will be made available in early January 2021.
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