Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey offers his closing State of the State tackle at the Arizona Legislature on Jan. 10, 2022.
Gov Doug Ducey is suing the Biden administration, claiming he has a constitutional right to use federal funds to help spread a extremely contagious, typically lethal virus in a state that already is amongst the nation’s leaders in its price of COVID-19 infections.
Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to me both.
But then treasured little has made sense since Arizona’s governor way back determined to ignore public well being specialists and as an alternative cater to these in his social gathering who see masks as the finish of the world as we all know it.
So now, we’re paying a staff of expensive personal legal professionals to sue Biden.
Is Treasury actually ‘energy grabbing’?
It performed nicely on Fox News and, little doubt, with this term-limited governor’s political advisers.
“The Biden administration is attempting to hold Congressionally-appropriated funds hostage and is trying to bully Arizona into complying with this power-grabbing move,” Ducey stated on Friday, in asserting his lawsuit. “They’re going after education programs that are designed to help kids access in-person instruction, ensure schools stay open and give parents the ability to make decisions that are best for their kids.”
This “power grabbing move” is a pair of letters from the U.S. Treasury Department, warning Ducey that he can’t use American Rescue Act funds to reward college districts and oldsters who ignore Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pointers that advocate masks inside faculties.
Ducey, having way back given up on science, ascended to a complete new stage of weird in August as the college yr bought below approach and faculty districts started requiring masks.
A brand new state regulation barring masks mandates hadn’t but taken impact and till it did, sure college boards reasoned that it solely made sense to attempt to defend in opposition to the spread of COVID-19, as beneficial by federal, state, county public well being departments in addition to the American Academy of Pediatrics and different well being care teams.
Ducey dreamed up 3 packages to transfer youngsters
Story continues
So, naturally, Ducey, determined to appease to his political base, dreamed up two new inducements to ignore that recommendation, utilizing federal COVID-relief funds.
He provided $1,800 per pupil in bribes to college districts and constitution faculties that agreed to forgo masks mandates till the state ban kicked in on Sept. 29. And he provided $7,000 vouchers to mother and father who wished to transfer their youngsters out of public faculties that require masks and into personal faculties that don’t.
School districts rushed to money in. Parents, not a lot. As of November, simply 93 of them bought a voucher to escape a masks mandating college, in accordance to a overview by The Arizona Republic.
Ultimately, the state ban on college masks mandates was tossed out by the Arizona Supreme Court, however the provide of COVID-relief funds to faculties that refuse to require masks stands.
And this month, Ducey dreamed up a 3rd federally funded program, providing a $7,000 voucher to any little one whose classroom closes even for a day due to COVID-19 infections.
How are sick youngsters supposed to give attention to math?
Meanwhile, the Treasury Department despatched Ducey one more warning earlier this month – the first got here in October – threatening to withhold $173 million in funding, the quantity Ducey has spent for the first two packages.
“By discouraging families and school districts from following (the CDC’s) guidance, the conditions referenced above (in Ducey’s programs) undermine efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19,” the Treasury Department wrote.
Ducey instantly shot again with one in every of the applause traces from his State of the State speech: “When it comes to education, President Biden wants to continue focusing on masks. In Arizona, we’re going to focus on math and getting kids caught up after a year of learning loss.”
Apparently, all the youngsters who catch COVID-19 and are actually absent from college due to Ducey’s appalling lack of management are at house, in mattress … doing math?
Schools have enacted masks mandates and different public well being insurance policies exactly in order that they’ll stay open. Yet right here now we have a governor who rewards faculties that refuse to require masks at the same time as he calls for that they continue to be open.
Given that logic, is it any surprise he’s (we’re) suing Biden?
How dare these bullies inform us we are able to’t use federal cash designed to fight a public well being emergency to take motion that’ll really worsen that public well being emergency?
Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.
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This article initially appeared on Arizona Republic: Gov. Doug Ducey sues for potential to spread COVID-19 with federal funds
