logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Did Iowa return $95 million in coronavirus relief money to the federal government?

By Austin Tannenbaum
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
YES

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds sent back more than $95 million in federal aid granted for “surveillance testing” in Iowa schools.

In a letter to the Centers for Disease Control, the state’s public health department stated that Iowa “has ample funding and testing capacity available to school districts in Iowa” and “will be declining the funding...in the amount of $95,029,161.”

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a Republican, stated that the money came with “strings attached” and that “with the federal debt out of control...if we're not going to use it in the right ways, we shouldn't be spending it.”

State Auditor Rob Sand objected to the decision, highlighting that the “money could have created hundreds of strong-paying jobs to administer and assist in testing at schools.”

In the same letter, IDPH reported that it already has about $1.4 billion that could be used to fund testing.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Iowa Department of Public Health Letter to CDC declining relief aid
KCCI Des Moines Iowa returns $95 million in pandemic aid for schools
US Department of Health and Human Services Biden administration to invest more than $12 billion to expand COVID-19 testing
Des Moines Register Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds returns $95 million from federal government for COVID testing in school
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.