Republicans in Congress argued that a funding formula based on unemployment instead of population benefits Democratic-led states and hurts Republican-controlled ones. One analysis from Representative Jason Smith, Republican of Missouri, found that 33 states were getting less money based on the unemployment formula, all but 10 of them led by Republican governors. Local governments have been hit harder than states. Three-quarters of the more than 1.3 million jobs lost among state and local governments since February 2020 have been at the local level, Mr. White of Moody’s found, the vast majority of them from school districts. Counties, which are critical geographies for public services like emergency services, public health departments and local jails, were ecstatic.

Source: New York Times March 13, 2021 17:14 UTC